Broken
by Hissing Willows
Summary: Firepaw is dead. Yellowfang has vanished. Tigerstar and Brokenstar have taken over the four clans, and manage a shaky alliance- for a time. StarClan's warriors are being forgotten. In the midst of the fraying ties to the clans' heritage and morals, will four hastily-chosen warriors be able to find the key to restoring peace to the clans, or is all lost? AU.
1. Prologue

**Of all of my Warriors stories I've started without finishing and deleted, this is the only one that's been sitting in the back of my mind for a while. So, I decided to write it again! The prologue stayed almost the same. The story takes place across the first arc, and the first chapter takes place between the end of Fire and Ice and beginning of Forest of Secrets. Most of the cats made warriors will end up with different names due to the entirely different leadership. A bunch of the chapters are already pre-written, and I'll be updating once a week for now.**

 _ **-Broken-**_

 _ **-Prologue-**_

* * *

Wind blew gently through ThunderClan's camp, stirring the branches in the trees and making wide leaves fall gently down. Tension was high in the clan.

Firepaw's heart twisted in agony as he gazed upon the medicine cat's den. Just yesterday, Frostfur's litter had been kidnapped, Yellowfang had disappeared, and Spottedleaf, the one cat he thought he really _loved,_ had been murdered by Clawface.

 _I'll kill him. I will._

Tigerclaw had unsurprisingly pointed the blame on Yellowfang, and then to his own apprentice, Ravenpaw. Firepaw and Graypaw had always felt that Ravenpaw was unsafe in the clan, but now, it was certain. They had snuck him out of camp to Barley's farm to keep him safe as a loner.

Now, ThunderClan was going to attack ShadowClan to get back the missing kits.

 _I have to be in the patrol. I have to be._

Tigerclaw had sharply told him to go stick it where the sun don't shine, and Firepaw was furious. He just _had_ to be in that battle. He had to find out the truth about Yellowfang and get revenge on Clawface. And, as long as Frostfur's kits remained missing, no one would be calm.

He had to fight. Firepaw just had to.

* * *

Tigerclaw drifted off to sleep. He had just been discussing the coming battle with Bluestar, and he needed some shut-eye before they attacked.

He opened his eyes, now standing in a dark, shadowy forest. The massive dark tabby sighed, slightly annoyed. "Can't a cat ever get a bit of rest around here?"

A ragged, battle-scarred brown tom padded forward, flicking his tail, which was crooked and missing all of the fur, covered in horrid gashes that had all scarred over. "This is important, Tigerclaw. You can rest after the battle."

Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes. "What is it, Shredtail?"

Shredtail chuckled wryly. "Calm yourself, Tigerclaw. You'd do best to put on a smile and act as though you're interested in this information I have to tell you, or I'll just leave… and if I do that, everything you ever hope to do will fail. Horrendously."

Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean I fail?"

"Nothing important." Shredtail smiled, as though he were rather enjoying the whole scenario. "Now, you know the kittypet? Oh, what's his name again?"

"Firepaw!" Tigerclaw spat. "His name is Firepaw!"

"Ah, yes. Well, you'd do we'll to get rid of him. Permanently."

Tigerclaw blinked. "But he's just a weakling. He can't do anything."

Shredtail laughed. "Oh, he may be just a scrap now, but trust me, there's more to the kit. He's destined to be one of the greatest leaders the clans have ever seen. There's actually a little prophecy about him; _Fire alone can save the clan_. Something along those lines. So if you don't kill him _now,_ then you're good as dead. Got it?"

"I… understand. Is that all?" It wasn't that Tigerclaw had any qualms about murdering the kittypet, but it was a surprise to hear that he was actually _important._ What a thought! The kittypet, the little weakling, _actually_ blessed by StarClan. Bah! How ridiculous. _But I'll still get rid of him anyway. No need to leave loose ends hanging about._

"Aye, that'll be all." Shredtail winked saucily. "You're dismissed."

 _The nerve of him!_ Was Tigerclaw's last thought before he blinked, and was lying awake in his nest.

* * *

"Firepaw," came a sly voice. "Come here. I need to tell you something."

The fiery ginger tom turned around to face the ThunderClan deputy smiling at him. Wait, smiling?! Yes, yes, Tigerclaw, the cold, harsh, brutal tom was smiling at him. Who was this cat standing before him, and what had he done with Tigerclaw?

"Er- uh, yes, Tigerclaw?" Firepaw stammered.

The dark brown tabby smiled even wider. "I've had a- I suppose you could say- a change of heart. I believe perhaps I _have_ been a bit rough on you, eh? I'll let you go into this battle, and you can have your chance to prove yourself to me. How's that sound?"

Firepaw stared at him for a moment. Tigerclaw sounded so, so _sincere._ It was surprising, but, well, he sounded quite honest. Maybe Tigerheart really _did_ have a change of heart. "I- wow, Tigerclaw, I, thank you! I won't let you down!" The ginger tom puffed out his chest. _Wow! What a thought! Maybe Tigerheart isn't so bad after all? Or losing his apprentice made him think some things through. Whatever it is, that's great! Maybe ThunderClan can really get better now._

"Oh, and tell the other apprentices that they're all to participate as well."

 _Even better!_ He would get to fight alongside Graypaw as well! _He'll be so excited!_

* * *

 _I'm such an idiot,_ was all that Firepaw could think. _Such an idiot._

And this was a mistake he could never mend.

ThunderClan had charged into battle, and no sooner had the ShadowClan camp become a mess of fur, blood, and screeches, had Tigerclaw hauled him spitting away from the scene. "What are you doing?!" He had snarled as he struggled, being dragged off by the scruff. Tigerclaw had thrown him roughly to the ground, pinning him with a huge paw, curved claws sinking into his pelt.

"Tigerclaw, wh-what are you doing?!" Firepaw cried out, struggling to no avail. Tigerclaw smiled, showing all of his pointed teeth.

"You weak little kittypet. I'm sorry, Firepaw, but you can't be allowed to live and get in the way of my plans."

"What plans!" Firepaw spat. "Tell me!"

"Oh, but I have no reason to." Tigerclaw snarled. "Instead, you can die, just wondering."

And the massive tabby started ripping into his flesh.

Firepaw screamed in pain, feeling each blow rip into him over and over. The pain was so powerful, so burning, and then, it was.

Gone.

Black.

 _Nothing._

* * *

The battle was lost.

Bluestar had been killed in the battle; such a tragedy. Tigerclaw, now Tigerstar, made a long speech about her bravery. He then, in her and Firepaw's honor, made Graystripe, Sandstorm, and Dustpelt all warriors. Coincidentally, Whitestorm had also been lost in the terrible fight. The kits were returned, though the warriors they had lost were regretted bitterly. Yellowfang was never seen again, and the clan would have been glad to have her disappear, if it weren't for the fact that they were now without a medicine cat. There was, however, no one willing to give up the life of a warrior, so Tigerstar decreed that since there were many queens in the nursery, one of their kits would have to become medicine cat, and they would find a way to learn when the time came.

It wasn't until one moon later when everything was broken.

A rather large patrol of ShadowClan warriors, headed by Brokenstar himself, stormed into camp. ThunderClan began to attack them, until Tigerstar suddenly yowled.

"Stop!"

Everyone froze in confusion. Brokenstar smiled smugly.

"What are you talking about, Tigerstar?!" Mousefur hissed, bristling. "They're invaders!"

Tigerstar smiled. "Oh no, I invited them here. The time for ThunderClan has come to an end."

Hisses and yowls of shock and confusion rang out throughout the camp. Tigerstar yowled again, "Silence! You will hear me now as your leader! Brokenstar and I have been talking, and we have agreed that our so-called warriors are nothing but mice frightened of StarClan's anger! We will begin a new era! Soon, very soon, RiverClan will belong to me and WindClan will belong to Brokenstar. When that time comes, all who are willing to help me will be rewarded handsomely. Who will assist your great leader for the new dawn of the clans?"

To no cat's surprise, Darkstripe, the clan's deputy, padded forward. "I will stand beside the one true leader of the forest," he said, eyes gleaming.

Tigerstar nodded. "Darkstripe, excellent. As you were the first to step forward, you will remain my right-paw, and will reap all the benefits. Is anyone else going to stand beside me?"

"You're mad!" Mousefur snarled, unsheathing her claws. "I will never follow you! StarClan will not approve of your actions!"

Tigerstar laughed haughtily. "I no longer walk in StarClan's light. They are dead, weak fools who want you to follow them blindly. They will lead you to weakness."

"I would rather die than follow you," Mousefur hissed.

"Then you can rot!" Tigerstar roared, dashing forward and smashing the smaller she-cat to the ground in one swift move. Before anyone could do a thing, Mousefur's throat was ripped open and her body spasmed once as blood began to pool around her corpse.

Everyone was silent in fear and awe.

Longtail, trembling slightly, stepped forward. "I… I will follow you, Tigerstar."

Tigerstar smiled. "Wise choice, Longtail. I always knew you were more useful than you seemed."

The tabby murmured some thanks and went to stand beside Darkstripe, eyes fixed on his paws. The clan hissed their disgust at his action.

"Anyone else?" Tigerstar called, eyes gleaming. _Surely, I must be able to convince one more._ "Dustpelt? Runningwind, perhaps? Graystripe?"

"You killed her. You killed my sister." Runningwind growled. "No. Don't think for a moment I will stand by your side. I will not fight back, but I will not help you in any way."

Tigerstar snorted and looked to the other toms he had called. Dustpelt and Graystripe both glared at him silently. He would have no support there. He looked to his mate, Goldenflower. "What about you?"

Goldenflower, looking as though she were forcing herself to be calm, padded forward slowly. "I will, Tigerstar, but only for the sake of our kits."

Tigerstar smirked. _At least this way I will have heirs. This is still working out fine._ "Very well. Is there no one else worthy of my gifts?"

No one moved a single hair.

Tigerstar chuckled darkly. "Very well."

And their very way of life was destroyed in that single moment.


	2. Allegiances

**The Allegiances were a pain (though kind of fun, still) to make, since pretty much ThunderClan is the only clan that had solid Allegiances in the first Arc. I had to check through the Super Editions, check the families of the cats listed, and look through Tigerclaw's Fury as well for a little bit of help with ShadowClan. There was a bit of guess-work done as well. I'll post the first chapter on Sunday, and you can plan on having updates on every Sunday for now at least.**

* * *

 **TigerClan**

 **Leader:** Tigerstar- big dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws

 **Deputies:** Darkstripe- sleek black-and-gray tabby tom

 _ **Apprentice, Brackenpaw**_

Leopardfoot- dappled, golden tabby she-cat with unusual golden spots

 **Medicine Cat:** Mudfur- long-haired light brown tom

 _ **Apprentice, Vixenpaw**_

 **Warriors:**

Blackclaw- broad-shouldered, long-legged smoky black tom with a long tail

 _ **Apprentice, Heavypaw**_

Stonefur- stocky, thick-furred, blue-gray tom with battle-scarred ears

 _ **Apprentice, Shadepaw**_

Frostfur- sleek, soft white she-cat (Mother of Cinderpaw and Brakenpaw.)

Longtail- pale silver tabby tom with black stripes

 _ **Apprentice- Swiftpaw**_

Voleclaw- gray tom

 _ **Apprentice, Mosspaw**_

Beetlenose- broad-shouldered black tom (Sunfish's mate.)

 _ **Apprentice, Brightpaw**_

Runningwind- slender, light brown tabby tom (Petaldust's mate.)

Loudbelly- dark brown tom

 _ **Apprentice, Silverpaw**_

Sedgecreek- mottled ginger-brown tabby she-cat

Reedtail- pale gray tabby tom with a long, darker tail

 _ **Apprentice- Shadepaw**_

Sunfish- light she-cat (Mother of Vixenpaw and Grasspaw.)

Frogleap- brown tom with dark striped tail

Willowpelt- slender, very pale silver-gray she-cat

Graypelt- long-haired gray tom with a darker stripe running down his back (Silverstream's mate.)

 _ **Apprentice, Cinderpaw**_

Sandcloud- slender, pale ginger tabby she-cat

Dustfang- dark brown tabby tom

 _ **Apprentice, Thornpaw**_

Grasstail- small, brown-striped tabby tom

 **Apprentices:**

Vixenpaw- thick-furred black she-cat

Heavypaw- large, stocky dark brown tabby tom

Swiftpaw- small black-and-white tom

Shadepaw- very dark gray she-cat

Mosspaw- slim tortoiseshell she-cat

Cinderpaw- smoky, dark gray she-cat

Brackenpaw- long-legged golden-brown tabby tom

Brightpaw- white she-cat with ginger patches

Thornpaw- golden-brown tabby tom

 **Queens:**

Goldenflower- sleek, pale ginger tabby she-cat (Mother of Tawnykit, a mottled, pale ginger she-cat, and Bramblekit, a large, dark brown tabby tom)

Speckletail- old, pale tabby she-cat (Mother to Snowkit, a deaf white tom)

Silverstream- silver-gray she-cat with black tabby stripes (Mother to Featherkit, a silver-gray she-cat with black tabby stripes, and Stormkit, a long-haired, dark gray tom.)

Petaldust- tortoiseshell she-cat (Expecting Runningwind's kits.)

Mistyfoot- glossy blue-gray she-cat (Mother to Perchkit, a black tom, Primrosekit, a pale, creamy-brown she-cat, Pikekit, a mottled dark gray tabby tom, and Reedkit, a black tom.)

Brindleface- dappled, mottled gray tabby she-cat (Mother to Ashkit, a gray tom, Fernkit, a speckled gray she-kit, and Leafkit, a dark, dappled red tortoiseshell she-kit.)

 **Elders:**

 _ **None. TigerClan does not keep those who are too weak to hunt or fight.**_

 **BrokenClan**

 **Leader:** Brokenstar- massive, very dark brown tabby tom with long, ragged fur, and a thick, bent tail

 **Deputy:** Clawface- battle-scarred brown tom

 **Medicine Cats:** Runningnose- small gray-and-white tom

Barkface- short-tailed brown tom

 **Warriors:**

Flintfang- gray tom

Fernshade- tortoiseshell she-cat

Rowanberry- cream-and-brown she-cat

Nutwhisker- brown tom with amber eyes

Cinderfur- gray tom (Kit of Rowanberry and Clawface.)

Stumpytail- brown tom with darker stripes and a short, stumpy tail (Kit of Rowanberry and Clawface.)

 _ **Apprentice, Whitepaw**_

Blackfoot- large white tom with jet-black paws

Boulder- silver tabby tom

Pigeonwing- short-legged dark gray-and-white patched tom

Wetfoot- gray tabby tom

 _ **Apprentice, Oakpaw**_

Flywhisker- tall, skinny white tom

Bristlefur- black tom with a thick, messy pelt

Rabbitwing- pale brown she-cat with a white belly

Wrenflight- brown she-cat

Tangleburr- gray and brown she-cat

 _ **Apprentice, Littlepaw**_

Deerfoot- pale ginger tabby tom

Mudclaw- wiry dark brown mottled tabby tom

 _ **Apprentice, Webpaw**_

Tornear- wiry, lithe gray tabby tom

 _ **Apprentice- Runningpaw**_

Onewhisker- small, lean, mottled pale brown tabby tom

Ratscar-scarred dark brown tom

Snowbird- pretty white she-cat

Applefur-mottled brown she-cat

 **Apprentices:**

Oakpaw- small, brown tom

Webpaw- wiry, dark gray tabby tom

Runningpaw- light gray tabby she-cat

Littlepaw- very small tabby tom

Whitepaw- black tom with white chest and paws

 **Queens:**

Morningflower- light tortoiseshell she-cat (Mother to Gorsekit, a small ginger-and-white tom)

Russetfur- small, sleek dark ginger she-cat (Mother to Hollykit, a dark ginger she-cat, Starlingkit, a white tom with black paws, and Emberkit, a dark ginger tom)

Dawncloud- small, pale ginger she-cat (Expecting Deerfoot's kits.)

Darkflower- black she-cat (Expecting Ratscar's kits.)

Tallpoppy- long-legged, light-brown tabby she-cat (Expecting Flintfang's kits)

Ashfoot- skinny gray she-cat (Mother to Eaglekit, a gray tom.)

Sorrelleap- gray and brown she-cat (Expecting Stumpytail's kits.)

 **Elders:**

 **None.**

 **Cats Outside The Clans:**

Crowfur- old black tom with silver muzzle, formerly of ShadowClan

Halftail- big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing, formerly of ThunderClan

Smallear- gray tom with very small ears; formerly of ThunderClan

Nightfur- sleek black tom

Patchpelt- small black-and-white tom, formerly of ThunderClan

Dappletail- once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely dappled coat, formerly of ThunderClan

Graypool- thin gray she-cat with patchy fur and a scarred muzzle, formerly of RiverClan

* * *

 **Questions? Concerns? Praise? Something you think is wildly incorrect in the Allegiances? Leave a review! I really will appreciate it.**


	3. Chapter 1 - Vixenpaw

**Here's the first chapter, a little earlier than promised! Thanks so much for your kind reviews! I also realize I forgot to change Graypelt, Sandcloud, and Dustfang's names in the prologue, so I'm editing that right now. Apologies if there are some weird mistakes, I do most of my writing on my phone, and it has awful autocorrect. I've literally had "I" get changed to "Zygote".**

 **Foxtail of StormClan: Thanks for letting me know! I don't see two Shadepaws, but I'll check for Tigerheart.**

 _ **Broken**_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

 _ **-Vixenpaw-**_

* * *

Snow fell down upon the forest, a wild wind blowing it madly around while shaking the barren branches of the trees. Cats sheltered in their dens, huddling together for warmth despite the normal high tensions between them.

Vixenpaw, however, did not have this luxury. She stumbled out of the medicine cat's den and into the nursery over and over again, her bushy black pelt covered in white. She shivered as she made yet another trek into the nursery.

"Is Tawnykit's cough still acting up? Does Bramblekit need anything?" She asked their mother, a pale ginger she-cat named Goldenflower. The other queens sighed in exasperation.

"No, thank you," Goldenflower purred, shooting a glance at the other expectant and nursing mothers.

"What, are you going to report us to Tigerstar for insolence?" Speckletail, an old tabby, spat, as she curled her tail defensively around her only son, a stocky white tom.

"You know I wouldn't do that," Goldenflower retorted.

Speckletail sniffed.

Vixenpaw shuffled her paws. "Er, do any of you need anything?"

Silverstream, a very young and pretty she-cat, who was soon to have her first litter, said kindly, "No, Vixenpaw we're alright in here. Go get some rest before you catch cold."

Vixenpaw purred in relief. _At least Tigerstar can't yell at me for slacking on my duties!_ "Thank you, Silverstream!"

The dark she-cat hurried back out and over to the medicine cat's den. Her mentor, Mudfur, was curled up in a shivering ball. The medicine cat's den was the coldest in camp, as there was only Mudfur and herself. "Mudfur? Are you awake?"

"What is it?" The tom sighed without opening his eyes.

"Can't we go sleep in the warriors' den until the blizzard calms? It's too cold in here, we could get sick!"

Mudfur snorted. "Oh yes, lets go ask Tigerstar to sleep with his mighty warriors, who cower in their den while we weak medicine cats run around tending to everyone! What a great idea!"

Vixenpaw felt herself swell with anger. Before she could stop herself, she spat, "Well, I've been going back and forth from here to the apprentices' den and the nursery tending to Brakenpaw and Tawnykit while _you_ lay here trying to rest! I'm soaked to the bone, and you're all nice and dry in your neat little nest!"

Mudfur sat up slowly, and glared dangerously at his apprentice. "I may be just an old medicine cat, but I was once a warrior. I am very aware that you want to be one as well, but TigerClan needs another medicine cat."

"Why?!" Vixenpaw spat. "Why did I have to be forced into this? I never wanted this life! Why couldn't that fish-brained Brightpaw or even Heavypaw do it instead?"

"Because Tigerstar does what he wants," Mudfur said dryly. "And that's that."

Vixenpaw let out a little growl, dropping in her nest and curling up in a tight, shivering ball. Mudfur sighed, and she felt him curl himself around her. "Come here," he grumbled, pulling her into his soft belly fur. Vixenpaw grinned and snuggled in closer to her mentor, warmed by the larger tom's body. She really wasn't angry with him, but rather with her situation. As much as she would take it out on her mentor, she really did like him. Vixenpaw purred slightly before closing her eyes, comfortable and warm and for a moment, feeling much like a little kit again.

* * *

When the snow finally let up, the pair of medicine cats were shoved roughly awake. "Get up!" Darkstripe hissed as Vixenpaw blinked rapidly, eyes adjusting to the sudden light. "Silverstream is kitting, which you would _know_ if you weren't sleeping in here like a pair of lazy badgers!"

Vixenpaw wasn't afraid of Darkstripe. She'd seen him at his best and worse, and when you got right down to it, he was nothing more than a soft-headed coward and a bully. "I was up all night tending to the queens, and to Brackenpaw, who has white-cough, which you would _know_ if you weren't huddled up in the warriors den where it's warm and dry!"

"Vixenpaw!" Mudfur hissed.

The black she-cat refused to turn her blazing glare from the deputy, who blinked and took the smallest of steps back. "Just do your work," he snapped, before turning and exiting the den. "I have patrols to organize."

When the deputy was out of earshot, Mudfur cuffed his apprentice lightly over the ears. "Do you have a death wish?" He demanded. "Don't go talking like that to Darkstripe!"

"I'm not afraid of him," Vixenpaw growled. "And besides, you said they _need_ another medicine cat. Tigerstar won't hurt me."

Mudfur scoffed. "You're turning out to be a little firebrand, aren't you?"

Vixenpaw smiled sweetly at her mentor. "Maybe I am."

The dark brown tom shook his head. "We need to take care of Silverstream. Go see how she is while I get the herbs."

"For StarClan's sake, where _were_ you?" Speckletail growled when Vixenpaw padded into the nursery.

"Sorry," Vixenpaw muttered. While she liked working with the queens for the most part, she secretly hoped Speckletail would fall in a puddle of mud or _something._

Speckletail was the oldest queen by far, and had an attitude to match her age. Vixenpaw was praying to StarClan that after her son, Snowkit, was apprenticed, she would give it up and move to the-

Vixenpaw almost flinched at her own thoughts. When Speckletail had last commented on getting a little too old for hunting in trees, Longtail had sharply reminded her that Tigerstar didn't keep elders anymore. _No wonder Speckletail hasn't said anything else about it._

She ignored Speckletail's comment regardless, instead padding towards Silverstream, who was splayed out on the nursery floor. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright," Silverstream hissed between clenched teeth. "Just hoping they'll get it over with soon. Why did no one tell me this would be the worst pain in my life?"

Goldenflower purred softly. "It'll be over soon enough."

Bramblekit poked his head out from her nest. "Why's Silva-stream layin' like that?"

Tawnykit sneezed. "Mama! He's steppin' on me!"

Goldenflower picked Bramblekit up by the scruff and set him him down besides his sister. "Her kits are coming, dear," she explained while Vixenpaw moved to the back of the nursery, where Silverstream was lying.

"Mudfur will be here soon," Vixenpaw purred to Silverstream. "And your kits will be here, too! He said there would be two, right?" Mudfur had taught her to talk queens through their contractions, as it would be at least a little distracting. She had helped Goldenflower with her kitting, too.

"Yes," Silverstream muttered. "Where's Graypelt?"

Petaldust rolled her eyes. "I told Darkstripe to send him hunting. The mouse-brain was pacing back and forth outside here all morning." She was also expecting an ex-ThunderClan tom named Runningwind's kits. "Toms! Always worried about something."

Mudfur padded quickly into the den, carrying a bundle of herbs wrapped in a dock leaf. He set them down and sniffed at Silverstream. "How is she?"

"In pain, thanks for asking," Silverstream hissed, and even Speckletail chuckled.

He placed a paw on her side for a few moments. "Your contractions are coming closer together. Any moment now, Silverstream, and you'll be a mother."

A strong contraction rippled through her, and she gritted her teeth. "It's coming!" Vixenpaw exclaimed, and Mudfur nodded. After a moment of coaxing from the tom, Silverstream pushed, and out slid one slick kit. Vixenpaw quickly bit open its sack, and licked it's fur to get it breathing.

"Well done," Mudfur murmured to her, before turning his attention back to Silverstream. "Almost done. One more, I think!"

It took a few more minutes for the second kit, but sure enough, out came a dark gray little kit, and within moments, both were clean and at their mother's belly. There had been a little blood, but otherwise, the kitting went smoothly.

"Congratulations," Mistyfoot purred. "Two little kits, just as Mudfur predicted." She smiled at Vixenpaw. "And well-done to you, as well."

"You did well," Mudfur murmured, and Vixenpaw's chest swelled with pride. This may not have been the path she wanted or had chosen, but she was good at it, and it was nice to be praised. "Go fetch some borage to help her milk. I must've forgotten it."

Vixenpaw nodded, and padded from the nursery, lifting her legs high to try and keep from sinking too far into the thick snow. Luckily, it had fallen fairly thick, so it held under her paws. Though the adults in the clan were easily padding though the fallen snow, she could see the other apprentices having a little difficulty due to height.

"Vixenpaw!" The black she-cat blinked as a gray she-kit came skidding towards her, sending flurries flying. "Let me hide! Ashkit is going to find us!"

"Playing hide-and-seek?" Vixenpaw purred, standing still while Fernkit hunched down behind her. "Are Mistyfoot's kits with you too?"

"Pikekit and Perchkit are!" Fernkit mewed. "Primrosekit went into your den. I don't know why. It's stinky in there. We can't find Reedkit, but he's probably just hiding really good."

Vixenpaw's eyes widened. "Fernkit, I can't let you hide. I need to go make sure Primrosekit hasn't gotten into anything. Try the apprentice's den." She hurried towards the medicine cat's den, heart racing. Snowkit had wandered in before and eaten six poppy seeds before vomiting and passing out just a moon ago.

"Primrosekit?" She called in as she rushed inside. "Are you in here?"

"Shhh!" She heard a little hiss from the back of the den, where they stored their herbs. "Ashkit will hear you!" Vixenpaw padded towards the sound to see Primrosekit staring at the collection of dried herbs. "I was gonna hide, but it smelled really nice in here. What are all of these?"

Vixenpaw flicked her tail, thinking quickly. Maybe if she could get Primrosekit interested in herbs, Tigerstar would let her become a warrior and Primrosekit could take her place? _It can't hurt to try._ Vixenpaw sat beside the kit. _She's already four moons old. I would only have to put up with two more moons of this._ "This is borage," she said, pulling the small flowers towards her. "I'm going to give it to Silverstream so it helps her milk come. Do you want to help me take it to her?"

Primrosekit looked up at her, eyes wide, and nodded. "Oh, yes! Mama will be glad I'm helping out."

Vixenpaw smiled. "Take one of these-" she searched for a moment before finding a dock leaf and laid it in front of Primrosekit. "Now put four of the borage flowers inside the leaf, and wrap the sides of the leaf around it in a little bundle."

Primrosekit sniffed at the borage before picking up the flowers one at a time delicately with her teeth and dropped them in the center of the leaf. She then used a claw to roll the leaf, and looked up at Vixenpaw for approval. "Very good!" Vixenpaw purred. "I'm sure you'll be great at working with herbs." Primrosekit looked delighted, and for a moment Vixenpaw wished she could feel as passionate about her work. _I don't want to be here, though,_ she thought. _I want to be back at the river, fishing with Grasstail. I want to protect our borders and fight for our territory._ She swallowed. _I want RiverClan._

"Now what?" Primrosekit's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Vixenpaw shook her head slightly. "Sorry. Pick it up and carry it gently. We'll bring it to Silverstream together."

"Vixenpaw?" Primrosekit mewed, and the black she-cat looked down at the creamy-tan kit. "I want to be just like you when I'm older!"

Vixenpaw smiled, despite her feelings. "Maybe you will be," she murmured, standing. "Come on. Mudfur's going to be wondering what's taking us so long."

The pair padded from the den, Primrosekit with head and tail held high. Vixenpaw purred as Ashkit and Pikekit came romping by, growling as they pretended to hunt their denmates. _Bramblekit and Tawnykit will be playing out here with them within the moon. Silverstream's kits will be ready to explore in time for the snow to melt._

 _Life may not be the same, but it goes on._

"Primrosekit?" Mistyfoot blinked as the she-cats returned to the nursery.

"I'm help'n'!" The tan kit mumbled around the dock leaf held gingerly in her teeth.

She padded towards Silverstream- who by now was situated in her nest, curled around her kits. The silver queen looked exhausted, but smiled gently at Primrosekit. "Thank you," she murmured as the kit dropped the bundle at her paws.

"Got help, hmm?" Mudfur glanced and Vixenpaw out of the corner of his eyes, which were narrowed disapprovingly.

"She was poking around," Vixenpaw replied coolly. "She seemed interested."

"I'm sure." Mudfur didn't press further, but it was clear he was annoyed.

Vixenpaw ignored him. _Primrosekit can't help if she wants to be covered in herbs, just like I can't help wanting to be a warrior._

* * *

 _Vixenpaw blinked. She was standing a star-lit forest- but something was wrong._

 _The trees were dying._

 _It looked like it was Leaf-fall, but even the bark and wood of the trees seemed to be rotting. Leaves of orange and brown hues scattered the earth, and the trees seemed to be leaning in towards her. Almost as though they were reaching out for her._

 _"Bluerose!" Vixenpaw started as she heard a desperate cry. "Bluerose? Bluerose, where are you?"_

 _A thick-furred gray tom came careening by, looking frantic. "Come on, stop fooling around!"_

 _"Excuse me?" Vixenpaw asked, and the tom spun around, eyes wide. "Where am I?"_

 _The tom stared at her. "Have you seen Bl- wait! You're a living cat! Living cats haven't visited here in moons! What are you doing here?"_

 _"Is this..." Vixenpaw looked around, swallowing. "StarClan?"_

 _The tom stared at her blankly, then jumped, as though he had just seen her for the first time. "Bluerose!" He looked around, bushing up. "Wait, where did you come from?"_

 _"What?" Vixenpaw tilted her head. This made no sense. "I asked you if this was StarClan."_

 _"Where's Bluerose?" The tom repeated, not looking at her._

 _A large, golden tom padded from the undergrowth, flicking his tail. "Jayfoot, Bluerose is gone. Please leave our guest alone."_

 _Jayfoot stared at the newcomer before shaking his head. "You're lying! Bluerose, where is she?"_

 _The tom glanced at Vixenpaw. "I'm sorry. He's fading. He won't listen to reason." He looked back at Jayfoot. "Go check the brook. Maybe Rosetail saw her." Vixenpaw stared hard at Jayfoot, before she realized she could see through him. Not entirely, but she could make out the faint shape of the stump behind him._

 _Jaytooth nodded hastily before hurrying off. "Bluerose!" His voice could be heard faintly as he wailed for the she-cat._

 _The golden tom sighed. "Welcome, I suppose, to what is left of StarClan. My name is Lionheart."_

 _Vixenpaw furrowed her brow as Lionheart padded closer. "I think I've heard of you. Graypelt mentioned you once."_

 _"I'm lucky," Lionheart murmured. "I'm remembered, so here I stay."_

 _"I don't understand," Vixenpaw said. "Why am I here? And what happened here? Mudfur doesn't talk much about StarClan, but he did say it was always Greenleaf."_

 _"That was before the time of Brokenstar and Tigerstar," Lionheart growled, thick pelt bristling slightly. "Now they have destroyed our ways of life, many have lost faith in us. Cats believe StarClan is all-powerful and all-knowing, but we are far from it. In the past two moons, we've lost generations of spirits. Cats like Jayfoot are going mad as they fade. His mate faded completely a few days ago, and he has been wandering our forests since."_

 _"Poor thing," Vixenpaw murmured. She looked back up at the tom. "But why am I here?"_

 _"Listen closely," Lionheart straightened his back, expression grim. "Fire alone cannot save the clans. Four has become two, and blood will bathe the forest. The lost warriors are the key to the clans' survival. When blood bathes the moon, find the stone touched by StarClan."_

 _"What?" Vixenpaw demanded. "That makes no sense!"_

 _"Stay strong, Vixenpaw," Lionheart said quietly, standing. "The coming seasons will not be easy." He too was beginning to fade- but it was not just him- everything around her was fading to gray._

 _"Wait!" Vixenpaw called. "I don't know to do! I'm not a real medicine cat!"_

 _"You will know," she heard Lionheart's voice whisper into her ear, before all was gone._


	4. Chapter 2 - Rabbitwing

**Early update because I'm going to the beach this weekend!**

 **Reviews:**

 **The Potato Goddess- Thanks so much for your kind reviews! There are more POV's- not just Vixenpaw! Our second main character is being introduced in this chapter.**

 **Foxtail of StormClan- Vixenpaw and Grasstail are canon, and are the kits of Beetlenose and Sunfish. They're briefly mentioned at the end of Crookedstar's Promise. Also, I spotted the double Shadepaws, which is weird. It's not in my docs version for some reason. I'll fix that when I get back from vacation.**

 **Stuffed Watermelon-Yes, Runningwind is a part of TigerClan. He said that he would not become one of Tigerstar's goons, but he did say that he wasn't going to oppose him.**

 _ **Broken**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

 _ **-Rabbitwing-**_

* * *

The wind blew through the barren, snow-covered moor, sending a chill through the lone brown-and-white she-cat. _I've just got to catch something. One rabbit. Please, let there just be one rabbit._

She parted her jaws, tasting the air, but all there was was the fresh, crisp scent of snow. The she-cat sighed. _I'll never find anything out here._

The words of her old mentor came back to her. " _Rabbitpaw, you have to remember, even if it seems there is nothing, there will always be something. Use your senses, watch and wait. You will see it in time."_

Rabbitwing purred fondly as she recalled how she hadn't believed her mentor. _I told her that I'd rather die of starvation than sit in the snow waiting for some stupid hare._ Now she found herself doing just what her mentor, Mistmouse, had taught her to do; she settled down amongst the snow, trying to ignore the chill.

It could have been minutes or hours that passed, but as Rabbitwing's paws started to go numb, she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. _There!_ A white hare was hopping along cautiously. _You're mine, rabbit!_

Rabbitwing burst forward, kicking up snow behind her as she raced for the prey at lightning-speed. _I have to catch you!_

The hare pricked its ears and as it noticed her bounding after it, it began to dash away as quick as it could.

 _No! I will get you!_ Rabbitwing pushed off the ground, extending her legs in midair as she leaped for the hare. It squealed as she cleared a whole five fox-lengths and slammed her paws down on its spine. Quick as a snake, she bit down on its neck, killing it. Rabbitwing sat in the snow, and murmured a quick prayer. "Thank you, StarClan, for this prey you have blessed us with." Though many cats no longer prayed to their ancestors, believing the starry warriors had abandoned them, she still did. The brown-and-white she-cat looked up at the pale blue sky. "...Please, StarClan, help us. Aren't there supposed to be four clans in the forest? The warrior code is dead, will you not help us? At least give us a sign?"

The sky bore no answer for her. Rabbitwing hung her head momentarily. _Maybe they really have abandoned us._

She picked up the hare in her jaws, and started to pad away.

A strong, howling wind picked up, nearly blowing her off her paws.

" _Fire alone cannot save the clans."_

Rabbitwing stiffened, pricking her ears, and dropped her hare. "What? Who's there?" She whirled around, but she was still alone. The heavy wind continued to blow, picking up some of the lighter snow and making it flurry through the air around her. The brown-and-white she-cat had to close her eyes for a moment, sinking her claws into the snow for balance against the strong gale.

" _Fire alone cannot save the clans. Four has become two, and blood will bathe the forest. The lost warriors are the key to the clans' survival. When blood bathes the moon, find the stone touched by StarClan."_

"'The lost warriors…?" Rabbitwing asked, but the wind died out and she was left again in silence of the snowy moor. "Who are the lost warriors? And the moon?" She shook her head. Either she had really been given a sign, or she was going mad as a hare.

* * *

Rabbitwing dropped her catch on the fresh-kill pile, sighing heavily as she sat down. Her pelt was wet from the snow, and she was shivering. She looked around at the other soggy, exhausted cats in the WindClan- or now, one of BrokenClan's camps.

 _But what did that mean?_ Rabbitwing wondered as she shook out her pelt. _I don't know who I would even ask. I'm no medicine cat, why would StarClan try to talk to me? I was… I was probably just hearing things. I'm not special in any way._

"Rabbitwing!" A skinny, brown-and-gray she-cat bounded towards the warrior. "You're finally back! I've got news for you, rabbit-brain!"

Rabbitwing let out a purr of amusement, thoughts of the voice in the wind leaving her. "Hey, Sorrelleap. What's going on?"

Sorrelleap smiled widely. "The news is- I'm having kits!"

 _More kits? Great StarClan, from what I hear, our nursery is packed already!_ "That's... that's great news, Sorrelleap. Who's are they?"

Then Sorrelleap got awkward. "They're... um. They're Stumpytail's."

" _Stumpytail?!_ " Rabbitwing gasped. "But- he, he's a ShadowClan warrior!"

The she-cat frowned. "Not anymore. We're BrokenClan, now, Rabbitwing, we've been for nearly six moons. It's time to let go of the past."

"Let go of the past?!" Rabbitwing spat, appalled. She lowered her voice, trying to keep others from overhearing. "Let go of everything our ancestors ever did for us?"

Sorrelleap sighed. "Maybe this is what they want, or they would have done something to stop it."

Rabbitwing bristled slightly at that. _Or they expect us to get off our tails and fix our own hare-brained messes._ "Well, that's great news. Good for you and Stumpytail." The last bit came out a bit harshly. "I'm going to get some rest." She nodded curtly to her friend and headed for the warrior's den, but was stopped short by a yowl. "All cats old enough to kill gather for a clan meeting!"

The summon sent a shiver down her spine, as it always did. _I can't be the only one who honestly thinks that there's something wrong with that, right?_

Blackfoot was gathering the clan, looking thoroughly annoyed. "Come on, move your lazy hides."

The WindClan camp was full of a mix of both WindClan and ShadowClan warriors. Queens stayed in ShadowClan's camp, along with the medicine cats and most of the warriors. Apprentices would travel back and forth between camps every half-moon with their mentors, and some warriors would switch between WindClan and ShadowClan with them. The warriors who lived in WindClan were used for hunting purposes only, and were allowed to eat only a portion of the prey they caught, most of it going to ShadowClan's camp. Rabbitwing had heard from a TigerClan warrior at the last gathering that it was somewhat similar in their clan, the main camp instead being ThunderClan's.

Blackfoot raised his voice over the curious chatter. "It is time for warriors to travel over to ShadowClan's camp. The cats in this patrol will be Sorrelleap, Wetfoot, Bristlefur, Rabbitwing, Tangleburr, Nutwhisker, Stumpytail, Brownpaw, and Oakpaw. Sorrelleap, you will be remaining in ShadowClan camp until your kits are born and apprenticed."

 _I'm going to ShadowClan? I thought I was going to stay out here as a hunter forever._ Rabbitwing felt uncomfortable, and quite frankly, annoyed. _I don't want to be stuck under all those trees! I'll be cut off from StarClan!_

But protesting would be futile. She'd probably just be killed on the spot. As Blackfoot have the order to move, she blearily joined the group that was coming over to ShadowClan. Some cats, such as Tangleburr and Stumpytail, seemed happy to return to their clan, but others, like Wetfoot and Bristlefur, were muttering in annoyance.

Rabbitwing glanced at Sorrelleap, but she was stuck like a burr to Stumpytail's side. _I guess I'll join Bristlefur, then._ Rabbitwing padded towards her brother, who was looking furious at the prospect of leaving WindClan.

The black tom snarled as she nodded to him. "I can't believe this!" he spat. "Me and you, we belong on the moor, chasing hares, not in a cramped, boggy forest!"

 _Well, thank StarClan someone still has sense._ "I couldn't agree more," Rabbitwing growled. "You were in ShadowClan for a moon, right?"

"Yeah, and I hated it," Bristlefur snarled. "Brokenstar is such a pretentious fleabag."

Rabbitwing snorted. "Of course he is. I wouldn't expect the Great and Mighty Leader of BrokenClan to be a humble mouse."

Bristlefur laughed harshly. "Ah, yes, the humble Brokenstar who forces newborn whelps to claw each other to death. I can't believe Sorrelleap is actually having a ShadowClan tom's kits. Not to mention that he's so _old_."

 _At least someone shares my views,_ Rabbitwing thought wryly. "Yeah, I don't know. I don't get how _anyone_ can possibly want to have kits right now."

Bristlefur sighed and shook his head. "Who knows! She-cats, the lot of them. I mean, you're great, sis. I just can't see myself settling down anytime soon. Who wants kits holding you down, right?"

Rabbitwing snorted in amusement and shoved her brother. "I can't imagine what poor molly would want to get stuck with you!"

"Hey!" Bristlefur growled in mock anger. "I'm quite the handsome tom, you know!"

"Maybe somewhere under that ugly mess of a pelt, you are!"

The siblings growled playfully and shoved each other around before Blackfoot yelled at them to stop acting like kits. Grumbling indignantly, the pair trudged to the back of the patrol to hiss snide remarks about the stuck-up tom.

* * *

BrokenClan's main camp, as Bristlefur had said, was boggy and cramped under the pine trees. WindClan was so open and free- here, Rabbitwing felt like a prisoner.

A large, dark tabby tom stood in the center of the camp, a light smirk on his face. _Brokenstar,_ Rabbitwing thought, her gut wrenching at the sight of the cat who murdered her leader and half-brother, Tallstar. Rabbitwing had only seen him when she had gone to the Gathering two moons ago, but now she had to look on him as her leader. She hated it.

"Greetings," Brokenstar said, circling the large patrol. "I see a new face in my camp." The ragged tabby padded closer to Rabbitwing, and looked her up and down in a way that made her extremely uncomfortable. The BrokenClan leader was much closer than Rabbitwing liked. "Who," he asked, a dark smile playing on his lips, "Is this lovely specimen?"

"Rabbitwing," the she-cat spat. "Brokenstar, I presume?"

"You would be correct, my dear." Brokenstar circled the warrior once, gazing at her almost hungrily. "No need to be so... cold. I don't bite, Rabbitwing."

Rabbitwing snorted, growling, "That's hard to believe, what with you staring at me like some fat piece of prey." She turned, and started to walk away, lashing her tail.

A weight slammed into her side, bowling her over. Blackfoot was pinning her to the ground. "That," he snarled, "Is no way to talk to your leader." He raised a heavy paw, preparing to slam it down on her face.

"Blackfoot." Brokenstar snapped. "Let the pretty thing up. I like a little fiery spirit. Livens the place up a bit."

Blackfoot hissed, but got off. Rabbitwing stood and spat at his paws. "Hare-dung," she snarled.

Brokenstar just laughed.

"I'm going to find myself a nest," Rabbitwing hissed, storming away. _What in StarClan's name was that?_ Though she may have just put on a tough show, her heart hammered in her chest. Brokenstar terrified her, especially with the disgusting way he stared at her. However, his interest kept Blackfoot from hurting her. _If I can play this right, maybe I can stay safe._

 _But why me? Why did he have to show interest in me? Everything could be so much easier if I went unnoticed._


	5. Chapter 3 - Swi

**I nearly forgot about updating tonight. Fun fact- Rabbitwing was the only main character who wasn't changed multiple times.**

 **Foxtail: Yep, along with Flywhisker and Wrenflight!**

 _ **-Broken-**_

 _ **Chapter Three**_

 _ **Swiftpaw**_

* * *

At the sight of the entrance to TigerClan's main camp ahead, Swiftpaw heaved a sigh of relief. He had the misfortune of staying in the RiverClan camp for the past three moons, at the claim that there just weren't enough apprentices to spare for his swap. As he and the other apprentices, as well as their mentors, padded through the entrance, a clamor of excitement rose from the clan.

"The apprentices are back!"

In total, there were six apprentices, who were older than the ones in TigerClan's main camp, as well as six warriors. While Swiftpaw was glad to be back, the other apprentices- all of which originally hailed from RiverClan- looked more or less annoyed.

The black-and-white tom curled his lip in displeasure when Tigerstar padded from his den. The leader was solitary, often going out alone into the forest or brooding in his den. He was rarely seen in person, preferring to let his minions do his dirty work. If there was one benefit to being in RiverClan, it was the even rarer sightings of their leader. He visited twice every moon to check on the state of things, and that was it.

"Welcome back," Tigerstar rumbled, gaze traveling across each apprentice. "I should like to see personally if your training has improved your skills. After you all have eaten, gather in the sandy hollow."

He glanced once towards a stocky brown tabby tom, who was creeping towards the apprentices with a look of wonder in his eyes. Swiftpaw wondered briefly if that was Goldenflower's kit- his mother had been expecting _Tigerstar's_ litter when he had left for RiverClan.

After his short welcoming, Tigerstar turned around and padded back into his den.

Swiftpaw watched as the tabby kit perked his ears up and bounded towards the den. The black-and-white tom scoffed, shaking his head. No kit in their right mind would go racing towards Tigerstar's den without being his offspring.

"Swiftpaw!" The black-and-white tom turned to see Goldenflower padding quickly towards him, and purred in greeting. "I'm so glad you're back."

Swiftpaw bit back a stinging retort of ' _Well, I'm sure you could've spoken to your dear old mate about that.'_ This was supposed to be a happy reunion, and he _was_ glad to see her, so he put on a smile. "Glad to be back, mother. How is everything here?"

"Your siblings were born not long after you left," Goldenflower purred, sitting and neatly wrapping her tail around her paws. "Bramblekit and Tawnykit. Bramblekit is strong and adventurous, but Tawnykit's had a bit of a cold. Mudfur says it's nothing to worry about, though." Goldenflower shook her head. "But I'd love to hear about you! What was TigerClan's river camp like?"

Swiftpaw wrinkled his nose a little at the wording of "river camp", but continued to try to keep the peace by feigning politeness. "Wet," he snorted. "It flooded once, briefly, and the dens took a week to dry out. Luckily the river froze over until three days ago." He sighed. "Except the RiverClan-born cats don't seem to know much about hunting other than fishing and catching the occasional water vole."

A little mew interrupted them. "Hello!" Swiftpaw glanced down to see the brown tabby kit blinking up at him, eyes wide.

"Bramblekit," Goldenflower purred. "I was just talking to Swiftpaw. This is your brother."

Bramblekit gaped up at the tall apprentice. "Hello!" He squeaked again. "Tigerstar says I can come with to watch you train!"

Swiftpaw raised a brow, while Goldenflower looked concerned. "Did he? Maybe you'll learn some moves," Swiftpaw said. "So, this is Bramblekit." He glanced at Goldenflower, attempting to mask distaste. "Tigerstar's son."

"And mine," Goldenflower retorted, voice lowering. "Him and Tawnykit are your siblings, Swiftpaw."

Swiftpaw huffed. "Just don't expect me to like that you chose that tyrant as your mate. I care deeply for you, mother, but I can't understand why you would want to have kits with _him_." _So much for keeping mother happy._

Bramblekit took a step back, eyes narrowed at Swiftpaw's words. "You're mean," he growled. "I don't like you!"

"I should go," Swiftpaw sighed, feeling a twinge of regret. He might not like him, but Bramblekit was only a kit. "I'll see you later. Tell Tawnykit I said hello." He rose to pad away, perking his ears when the other apprentices called him over eagerly.

* * *

Swiftpaw raked his claws lightly down Shadepaw's flank, who snarled and pushed off the ground to rear up and slam her paws down on Swiftpaw's back.

"Twist out of her grip!" Longtail ordered as Swiftpaw was crushed to the ground. The black-and-white tom growled and kicked out with his hind legs, sweeping Shadepaw's out from under her. Swiftpaw scrambled out of the way as she too collapsed with a yelp.

"Up on your paws!" Reedtail called, and as Shadepaw tried to rise, Swiftpaw lashed out, striking her head, and she had to flinch back. Swiftpaw took the opportunity to pin the she-cat, then lightly bit her neck. "You're dead," he chuckled, and Shadepaw groaned as he let her up.

"Well-done, Swiftpaw," Tigerstar nodded. "You acted quickly and cleverly. Shadepaw, you need to work on avoiding your assailant's attacks. If this were a real battle, you would have lost your life."

Shadepaw glowered under his reprimand, and Swiftpaw didn't feel much better about it. He kept his neutral expression, only nodding at Tigerstar's praise. The only praise he would accept would have to come from his mentor. Despite the fact that Longtail was one of Tigerstar's goons, he only served him out of fear and concern for his own safety. _I don't trust the words of a murderer. A liar._

Many cats may be happy to settle into their new life with Tigerstar as their leader, but he was not. Living in RiverClan's old camp had been a stark reminder of how different their life was now. And it took only a glance to see that the RiverClan apprentices who came to ThunderClan's side of TigerClan were not happy about it either.

Swiftpaw reminded himself of how TigerClan really was by still considering things either RiverClan or ThunderClan. The two should not have been mixed. They were two different worlds that did not belong as one. It was not all bad, of course- there were no more petty battles fought over who could sun themselves on Sunningrocks.

He narrowed his eyes as Tigerstar called Mosspaw and Silverpaw forward to spar. It didn't matter whether or not things were peaceful. It didn't excuse that a murderer was in power.

An excited gasp reminded him that Bramblekit, that perfect little picture of their leader, was sitting besides Tigerstar, eyes wide with wonder. Swiftpaw curled his lip for a moment at the sight of him. That kit- and his sister, too- would have everything. Tigerstar would either train them personally or have his closest lackeys take care of it with his careful supervision. Bramblekit would probably be next in line for Tigerstar's place, while he would likely put Tawnykit at the head of RiverClan's camp. As soon as that kit innocence wore off, Bramblekit would be just like his father.

"Takin' a gander at the kit?" Heavypaw nudged him. The bulky apprentice was the oldest in TigerClan, and should have been a warrior if not for a nasty bout of greencough that delayed his training for a moon. He spoke a little odd, but he was easygoing and friendly.

"My half-brother," Swiftpaw explained, sniffing. "My mother is Tigerstar's mate now."

"Oi, that's rough," Heavypaw nodded. "Can't imagine wantin' to have kits with him."

They stopped talking to watch Mosspaw throw her weight on her front paws and lash out with her rear legs, kicking Silverpaw sharply in the jaw.

After they fought bit longer, Mosspaw came out on top, and proudly took her seat beside Heavypaw.

The training went on a little longer, until Tigerstar nodded sharply and ordered they were finished. "Excellent work, all of you. You will all hunt, until you each have at least two pieces of prey. It's up to you where you hunt and whether or not you want to partner up with others. Your mentors and I will be watching."

 _I wonder if this is just a casual assessment, or something more?_ Swiftpaw wondered, eyes narrowed. He doubted Tigerstar was assessing them to be warriors- they each had at least a moon left of training before it would be normal for them to receive their names. Then again, though, nothing was normal anymore. Swiftpaw had heard Brokenstar made apprentices at three moons old- what if Tigerstar was considering similar tactics?

Swiftpaw shook his head as he stood to leave. Now was not the time to worry.

"Do you want to hunt with me?" Mosspaw asked, and Swiftpaw blinked. "We could go to the river." She frowned, looking at her paws. "I know you don't like it, but there's no fish in the pile and I'm sure Silverstream would appreciate it..."

"Sure," Swiftpaw shrugged. "What's another day of getting soaked? I'm used to it by now."

Mosspaw brightened. "Great! Let's get going."

Swiftpaw padded alongside the tortoiseshell, sighing in relief as they left the sandy hollow and headed into thicker forest. Just being here was so relaxing.

Mosspaw jumped at the sound of a rustling bush, and glanced quickly up as a raven flew overhead, cawing. She looked quite fidgety and nervous.

Swiftpaw purred in amusement. "You look like a frightened squirrel. How many times have you came here?"

"This is my fourth time switching," Mosspaw admitted. "Doesn't make feel better about this place."

Swiftpaw flicked her with his tail. "It's not that much different from RiverClan," he assured her. "The forest is just denser. But it's not like we have more predators, and they're definitely not going to come jumping out of a bush anytime soon."

Mosspaw sighed, relaxing her fur, but still looked around warily as they continued on. "Thanks, I guess."

When they finally reached the river, they each found a place where they could sit without their shadow falling into the water. Swiftpaw narrowed his eyes, watching the water before him as he sat still. He heard a few splashes from where Mosspaw was, a few fox-lengths away, but Swiftpaw ignored them. He had to focus.

His eyes locked on a shimmering flash of scales, and he struck, scooping the minnow from the river. It landed, flopping, on the sand nearby, and Swiftpaw pounced, then but it sharply to kill it. He glanced proudly at Mosspaw. "Got o-"

Mosspaw wasn't there.

"Mosspaw?" he called, looking around. "Mosspaw, where are you? Come on, this isn't funny!"

He heard a loud splash and saw her head burst up from the water, gasping, before a passing branch knocked her in the skull, and she sunk like a stone again. "Mosspaw!" He yowled. Swiftpaw hesitated, one paw forward to step in the water, before he gritted his teeth, growled, and raced in.

He gasped sharply at how _cold_ the water was. It was easy to forget that just days ago, the river had been frozen. Swiftpaw narrowed his eyes and continued forward, until his paws were off the bottom, and he was swimming. Another glance around told him Mosspaw was already underwater. He dove, nearly gasping again underwater. His teeth chattered as he fought to keep his jaws clenched.

He saw Mosspaw, slowly drifting away, limp. Feeling a surge of panic, he kicked out with his hind legs and paddled with his front, propelling himself forward. Luckily, she was not going fast, and he managed to catch up with her. Swiftpaw's chest threatened to burst, and he had to surface for air before diving back down again. He swam downwards, before catching Mosspaw's shoulders in his paws, then latched his teeth into her scruff.

Swiftpaw struggled to swim back up, but it was to no avail. If he let go of her now, she would die, and without being properly buried.

Bubbles snorted from his nose as he tried to kick and stroke, but he couldn't move. In fact, they were _sinking_.

Swiftpaw felt himself start to go limp with exhaustion. This river was just too _cold_. Swiftpaw's eyes started to droop. Maybe if he just _relaxed_... it wouldn't feel so cold.

In the depths of the river, he heard a voice. Deep and bubbly, just like the river. It echoed off the stones of the riverbed, surrounding him.

 _Fight, Swiftpaw!_

Swiftpaw's eyes flew open in surprise. _What?_

 _Fire alone cannot save the clans._

 _Four has become two, and blood will bathe the forest. The lost warriors are the key to the clans' survival. When blood bathes the moon, find the stone touched by StarClan._

He thought, for a moment, that he saw a cloudy shadow of a shimmering cat underwater- but that made no sense. Swiftpaw tried once more to move his numbing limbs- but to no avail. _This is the end,_ he thought, letting his eyes close and his body go limp.

There was a sharp pull on his scruff, and he could vaguely feel himself move. Before he knew it, his head broke the surface, and he was on the ground, coughing up water. A moment later Mosspaw was dropped beside him, and he blinked blearily to see Longtail slam his paws on her chest, and she convulsed before she too vomited, gasping.

"Thank StarClan!" Voleclaw, Mosspaw's mentor, exclaimed. "We saw you go under and jumped in after. I was afraid you were goners."

 _Thank StarClan is right,_ Swiftpaw thought, panting as he tried to catch his breath. _If that… whatever it was- hadn't said something to me, I probably would have drowned._ He blinked, looking up at Longtail, who was watching him with relief in his eyes. _What_ was _that voice?_


	6. Chapter 4 - Applefur

**Decided to do an early update because the next chapter is already nearly finished.**

 **The Potato Goddess: Thanks so much! Haha, I have to agree, Rabbitwing is my favorite so far as well. Blackfoot isn't _wholly_ evil, though he's been shown to be willing to do whatever a leader tells him. (It was him who killed Stonefur on Tigerstar's orders, and he was one of the rogues exiled after Brokenstar's leadership ended.)**

 _ **-Broken-**_

 _ **Chapter Four**_

 _ **Applefur**_

* * *

The mottled brown she-cat's eyes gleamed in the darkness as she and her clanmates raced down the grassy slope into Fourtrees's clearing. It was the night of the Gathering, and this was sure to be interesting. It had been six moons since Brokenstar took over WindClan and named the clan after himself, and he had been hinting at 'big changes' with a wink to his clanmates over the past days.

Applefur honestly couldn't care less who was in power as long as she was well-fed. And, being as it was that she hailed from the ex-ShadowClan, she was. She might not enjoy Brokenstar's methods of leadership, but they hardly affected her negatively. It was no secret that the ShadowClan side of BrokenClan was eating better than they had in moons. Plus, with the enormity of their clan, they no longer had to fear badgers or foxes that strayed into their territory.

As the two large clans assimilated, talking casually, Applefur scoped out Sandcloud of TigerClan. The two had been friendly over the last Gatherings, and she was the only TigerClan cat that didn't make her want to claw her own ears off in annoyance. Sandstorm strongly disliked the new way of things, but she wasn't a complainer like the rest, which Applefur appreciated.

"Applefur!" She turned to see the pale ginger she-cat in question padding towards her, tail raised in greeting.

"How's the prey running?" Applefur smiled, sitting with her tail wrapped around her paws.

"Well, surprisingly," Sandcloud muttered. "I've never seen this much prey in Leafbare."

"Same here," Applefur nodded in agreement. "Must be all the prey from the moorland now. Has Silverstream had her kits yet? Your friend Graypelt couldn't stop going on about her last moon."

"She has," Sandcloud chuckled. "Featherkit and Stormkit. Haven't opened their eyes yet, but they're sure to do it soon."

"Well, tell her I said congrats," Applefur mewed, searching the Great Rock for sign of their leaders. "Where are they? They usually cut to the chase when it comes to Gatherings."

Sandcloud shrugged. "They might be meeting. Tigerstar's been startlingly cheerful for the past couple of days."

Applefur frowned. "Brokenstar's been promising big things for us. I wonder what it could be."

"It can't be good," Sandcloud muttered. "They're both ambitious and power-hungry. It's only a matter of time before one of them starts something."

* * *

 **Brokenstar**

"So we're in agreement?" Tigerstar asked, and Brokenstar nodded. They had agreed at the beginning of their new era that in six moons' time, they would discuss the Warrior Code and changes that would need to be made in order to suit their new lives.

"No rules against killing. I have no issue with that," Brokenstar chuckled, twitching his crooked tail. "And we've already done away with elders altogether, so there's no need for them in the Code. Feeding priority is for leaders and queens first."

Tigerstar nodded. "I want to abolish the rule of deputies becoming leader. The leader's kits should be next in line."

Brokenstar narrowed his eyes in the slightest. Tigerstar had made no attempt to mask the fact that he had heirs and Brokenstar had none. _Though if I need heirs, that won't be too difficult to arrange._ He also did _not_ want to deal with that buffoon Darkstripe if, by some stroke of misfortune, he became leader. It wasn't that Brokenstar didn't think he could handle Darkstripe, but he was pretty certain he would ruin Brokenstar's hard work for at least a while with his bumbling. The tom was loyal to a fault, but he wasn't devious like Tigerstar. A bully and a coward, but no leader. "Very well," Brokenstar nodded. "We may abolish that as well. I would like to officially throw out the six moon old apprentice rule. The earlier you train them, the more they learn."

Tigerstar snorted slightly, but nodded. "Train your kits when you please."

"Anything else?" Brokenstar asked. "I'd like to get this Gathering started."

"Yes," Tigerstar growled. "We need to make it clear that the old clans are not to be spoken of. Too many of my warriors speak of 'RiverClan' and 'ThunderClan', which creates an unhelpful divide."

 _All the more helpful to me,_ Brokenstar thought, but nodded anyway. He would need to play along with Tigerstar a little longer before he made a real move. He needed the tom when it came to slowly dissolving the Code and instilling their own rules into the clans. However, he did _not_ need Tigerstar to lead TigerClan. It would only be a matter of time before _all_ clans were under Brokenstar's rule. "I agree. I've not really had that problem, but if it helps you out." Brokenstar smiled slyly, and Tigerstar scowled. He wasn't lying, either- while Brokenstar had been expecting complete opposition from WindClan, they had been settling in fairly well considering he'd murdered their leader and deputy. ShadowClan, after seasons of poor eating and illness, seemed more or less glad to have his leadership if it meant they'd be stronger for it.

"Alright." Tigerstar muttered, clearly annoyed. "Let's get this over with. We can start making more changes next moon."

Brokenstar nodded, and together they leaped up the Great Rock.

* * *

When Brokenstar and Tigerstar ascended the Great Rock, Applefur got the terrible sense that something was _horribly_ wrong. She glanced around, and she could see that many cats around them looked just as tense. She shuddered slightly. Something was just _off_.

"Let the Gathering begin!" Tigerstar roared, and not even a single whisper could be heard. It was as though everyone had a sense of impending doom.

"Tigerstar and I have been deliberating on a few important matters." Brokenstar began. The tom had a way with crowds. He was, in all honesty, downright creepy. Ever since he became leader, he had a sly smirk like he was in on some big secret that no one else knew. And, unlike Tigerstar, he openly broadcasted his murderous tendencies. Yet, he was a smooth, almost _charming_ speaker. It was as though you just _had_ to hear everything he wanted to say. He could talk even the purest StarClan warrior into murder, some said.

"There will be some changes to the Code," Tigerstar said. "We have debated on what our first modifications, and we have decided on the following changes. Brokenstar, if you would please be so kind as to share these with our clans."

Brokenstar stepped a little past Tigerstar on the Rock. "Firstly, we are making it official that there will be no room for elders in the clans. The same goes for any others unable to contribute to their clan- kits aside, of course. Slightly sick cats will have one quarter-moon to recover, while the majorly ill will have a half-moon. If they take longer than this time to recover, they will need to leave."

Cries of outrage broke out throughout the clans.

"That's absurd!" Flintfang, a senior warrior of BrokenClan, cried, bristling. "I've earned my rest!"

"The sick aren't useless!" A black she-cat that was sitting with the medicine cats spat. "That's mouse-brained!"

"Elders could still have duties!" Flintfang's sister, Fernshade, added. "Like expanding dens, watching kits-"

"Nonsense," Tigerstar growled. "You may rest all you like- outside our territories. Become a lowly kittypet, for all I care. However, if you can no longer hunt, fight, or patrol properly, you will be exiled. This measure is being taken to ensure our clans' strength. I hope you can see reason. And this is nothing new to you- we have already asked our previous elders to leave."

"There's no reason to that," Sandcloud hissed in Applefur's ear. "They can't do this!"

 _They can_ , Applefur thought, flicking her tail. _It's awful, but I suppose it will keep prey from being wasted. It's not like we can protest and they'll listen. They have too many supporters._

Tigerstar smiled. "However, when I first became leader and _offered_ my gifts to you, this could have been one. It is only your own faults for turning your backs on what I had to offer. For those that have helped your leaders, you will of course be rewarded with care."

Applefur pricked her ears in the slightest. _Rewards, huh? Maybe I ought to let Brokenstar recruit me after all._

Some cats may call her selfish, but Applefur just thought of herself as a self-preservationist. Why should she starve and get kicked around by those stupider than her when she could be doing better? Suffering with the rest wouldn't change anything, that was for sure. Brokenstar didn't seem to dislike her, though he didn't pay much attention to her. If he gave her an order, she followed it without complaint. Best to stay in favor of the cat who had no qualms about murder.

"Now, if I hear another complaint, you won't be around long enough to leave," Brokenstar snarled, tail lashing, and the cats sat back, ears folded, but silent. "Now. The next change- as there are no elders, eating priority goes to leaders and queens." A few mutters, but no outrage. "As for deputies. The leader's kits will be next in line for leadership, unless the current leader has none. Otherwise, deputies will succeed. If the leader's kits are too young to take their place, the deputy will take temporary leadership until the kits are old enough."

Darkstripe swung his head around to stare at Tigerstar, shocked. Clawface, BrokenClan's deputy, didn't seem too bothered. Leopardfoot only twitched her ear, as though she was not surprised.

"The rule against killing is done away with altogether." Brokenstar flicked his tail. Applefur blinked, and looked around again. She could see the growing outrage in many cats- but after the tom's threat, no one dared speak up.

"Now," Tigerstar growled, and Brokenstar moved to let him take the spotlight. "From now on, the names of the dead clans are _never_ to be spoken of. If I, or anyone, for that matter, hears mention of any clan names other than BrokenClan or TigerClan, you _will_ be punished."

"As for punishments," Brokenstar added, grinning nastily. "We will each be instilling our own set of punishments into our clans. And trust me when I say they _will_ be severe."

 _Punishments?_ Knowing Brokenstar, they would likely consist of painful, slow deaths, or close to it. Now Applefur _really_ needed to earn his trust.

"Finally, we will be holding warrior assessments differently. However, we will share these with you as it becomes necessary." Tigerstar looked over the clans, seeming satisfied with the lack of protest.

 _That's interesting,_ Applefur thought. _Doesn't sound bad, at least._

"I believe that is all, for now. Shall we move on to general announcements?" Tigerstar glanced at Brokenstar, who nodded. "Very well. TigerClan grows strong this moon, with the birth of new kits. Silverstream has two healthy kits, Featherkit and Stormkit." There was a murmur of congratulations. "Also, Grasstail has received his warrior name, and Brightpaw and Thornpaw are now apprentices."

There were cheers, now- mostly from TigerClan. "Grasstail! Brightpaw! Thornpaw!"

Brokenstar spoke. "Tallpoppy has moved into the nursery, and Ashfoot has given birth to Eaglekit. Littlepaw and Whitepaw are now apprentices."

"They look more like kits to me!" A TigerClan tom hissed.

Brokenstar lashed his tail. "They will learn more if they have more time to train."

"They'll die sooner, too!"

Clawface unsheathed his claws, glaring at the speaker. "Come challenge Brokenstar up here."

The tom lowered his gaze, silent, and ducked behind the other cats near him.

Tigerstar huffed. "I apologize for the behavior of Runningwind."

Brokenstar flicked his tail. "No harm done, I suppose. May we end this Gathering? I believe we are both finished here."

Tigerstar nodded. "Very well. This Gathering is dismissed."

The two leaders jumped down from the rock, and their deputies followed, calling for their warriors.

"Well, goodbye," Sandcloud muttered, looking fairly peeved herself. "I have a feeling we'll see each other soon, though I'm sure won't be meeting on friendly terms."

Applefur dipped her head. "Goodnight." _She probably isn't wrong_ , Applefur thought. _Brokenstar wants all of the forest. He won't be content with just the marshland and moor._

* * *

As Applefur padded wearily back into camp, she heard a call. "Applefur! How was the Gathering?"

"It was... intense," Applefur smiled wryly at the white she-cat that padded up to her. "A lot happened."

The she-cat, Snowbird, tipped her head to the side, blinking. "How so?"

"Well..." She glanced in Brokenstar's direction, who was making his way to his den. _Doesn't look like he's going to give any announcements tonight._ "They changed a lot of rules." Applefur jerked her head in the direction of the warrior's den. "Come on. I'm tired. I'll explain when we're settled."

* * *

 _Applefur wandered through the thick pine forest, ears pricked. There were no sounds, which was quite unsettling. In BrokenClan territory, there was always the cawing of ravens or croaking of frogs, but here, there was nothing._

 _She continued on, glancing around. The forest seemed completely thick on all sides, save for the single clear path she was treading upon._

 _Applefur then spotted a great, looming boulder in her path. She blinked, and she was standing at the top, overlooking a clearing._

 _In the clearing, cats were locked in battle, screeches silent in the eerie forest._

 _"Blood will bathe the moon."_

Who was that? _she thought, unable to find her voice._

 _Below her, the cats were dropping like flies, bodies sinking into the growing pool of blood. Applefur hissed as she watched the pool expand, lapping at the stone she was perched upon. When the last two cats fell, locked in a grapple with claws and teeth at each other's throats, the pool seemed to become clearer, the crimson traveling towards the center, leaving water behind, until there was a sphere of blood in the middle of the pool. It looked more like a reflection, in the way it distorted and rippled._

 _"When blood bathes the moon, find the stone touched by StarClan."_

 _Applefur looked up and gasped, flattening her ears._

 _The moon was blood red._

 _And the huge stone beneath her was glowing under it's light._


	7. Chapter 5 - Runaways

**Three updates in a week! This is so unlike me. This chapter jumps around a bit, but I like it anyway.**

 **Potato- Thanks so much! I wasn't actually super happy with that chapter, so that's relieving!**

* * *

Swiftpaw glanced up from the starling he was eating as he heard Tigerstar's snarl of fury. "That traitor! I knew I should've killed him like I did Mousefur. Find Runningwind. I need to show what happens to those who try to leave."

 _Huh?_ He blinked. Had the warrior ran away?

"Of course," Blackclaw hissed, paws kneading the earth in anticipation. "I'll lead the patrol myself."

"Who else knows about this?" Tigerstar growled, tail lashing.

"Only Petaldust," Blackclaw said, voice dropping. "She's frantic. Said he was antsy the last time he checked in on her. Saying things like "I'm so sorry," with no explanation."

Tigerstar shook his head. "The coward even left his mate. Well, get going. I want him found before his scent gets stale."

Blackclaw glanced around camp, which was mostly empty. It was early morning, so while dawn patrols had gone out, most cats were either still asleep or just getting up. "Swiftpaw!" He called, spotting the apprentice. "Come here."

 _Great._ Nothing could top off an early morning with Blackclaw and a wild goose chase after a runaway tom. Swiftpaw sighed, and abandoning the starling, padded towards the warrior. "Yes?"

"You're coming with me," Blackclaw said, tail twitching. "Go wait by the entrance."

It took only another moment to gather Frogleap, Sedgecreek, and Longtail, and they were off. "Tigerstar wants the traitor found," Blackclaw ordered. "Before sunhigh."

Swiftpaw parted his jaws to taste the air. The others around him were doing the same, while Sedgecreek sniffed close to the ground. "I think I found his scent!" She exclaimed, ears standing tall. "This way!" The mottled she-cat started to pad in the direction of the trail she found.

Longtail sniffed at the same spot, and nodded. "That's him, alright. Come on, Swiftpaw." He let the rest of the patrol pass them, and murmured into his apprentice's ear. "Perhaps Tigerstar will make you a warrior if you find him."

Swiftpaw wanted to be excited at the idea, but he just couldn't. _Yeah, at the cost of Runningwind's life. I don't want that._

"Come on," Longtail repeated. "I guess we're going towards Tallpines."

They caught up with the patrol, who seemed to be chatting aimlessly now.

"What do you think of Willowpelt?" Frogleap was saying, ears flattening in embarrassment.

"Ooo, she's so pretty!" Sedgecreek gushed. "I _love_ her eyes."

Frogleap rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but I mean, for me."

Blackclaw snorted. "I've heard she's already had multiple mates. You're wasting your time."

"So?" Frogleap bristled. "What does that matter? She's not with anyone now!"

Swiftpaw ignored their bantering. _I wonder why Runningwind ran off, though? What if he was killed by a fox? Or got captured by BrokenClan? Tigerstar is pretty eager to jump to con-_

"Blood!" He exclaimed, freezing as he saw the droplets scattered across the bark of a tree. "There was a fight here!"

The others came back towards him, eyes wide. "He must have been attacked!" Sedgecreek exclaimed. "What if he got killed by rogues?"

"Then there'd be a body, frog-brain," Blackclaw snapped. "Search the area. This blood is still wet."

"There's fur over here!" Frogleap called from a thorn bush. "But it's not his. I don't recognize the scent, either."

There was a clump of black fur stuck in the bush, and the scent was no clan cat.

"He was attacked by a rogue," Swiftpaw said. _I knew it._ "He must have been captured. If he were dead, there'd be more blood, right?"

Blackclaw nodded. "That's true. Hmm." The tom paced back and forth for a moment, tail lashing. "Well, he's lost. Let's report back to Tigerstar."

 _Lost._ The word sent a jolt through Swiftpaw. _Lost warriors._ As the patrol turned to head back to camp, Swiftpaw stood still for a moment. _Is this what StarClan meant?_

"Swiftpaw!" Longtail called, and the apprentice blinked. "Quit daydreaming!"

Swiftpaw sighed, and turned to follow. _Something's going on. I just hope Runningwind didn't end up dead._

* * *

Runningwind wasn't the only cat to vanish, leaving behind only a trace of blood or tuft of torn fur. First it was Snowkit, and the day after, Specketail was gone as well. But when Brightpaw disappeared, Thornpaw was fidgeting and muttering nervously, until he was seen heading into Tigerstar's den.

Three days after Runninwind went missing, Tigerstar held a meeting. "All cats gather beneath the Highrock to hear my words!" he yowled, anger clear in the order.

Swiftpaw sat close to the stone, and narrowed his eyes when he saw Thornpaw, head lowered as though ashamed.

"Our clanmates are cowards!" Tigerstar spat, and a few cats jumped. " _Four_ of our clanmates, our allies, our _kin_ , have been _abandoning_ us. When Runningwind disappeared with only traces of blood left behind, it seemed a rogue had kidnapped him. However, when _four_ cats vanish, two of which being a queen and kit, it is clear that we are being betrayed."

"Mouse-dung!" Frostfur, Brightpaw's mother, hissed. "Brightpaw wouldn't!"

"Oh, but she _did_ ," Tigerstar snarled, lips curling. "In fact, she confided in her brother about running away. Thornpaw, tell the clan what you told me."

The young apprentice's eyes widened, and it took a moment to find his voice. "S-she s-s-said that she c-couldn't tell me, b-but someone was g-gonna help her g-get away." He took a shaky breath, ears flat. "And that she'd be safe. Away from here. She wouldn't tell me any more."

"Runningwind must be starting a rebellion!" Darkstripe hissed, and though a few cats nodded, eyes narrowed, most rolled their eyes.

Leopardfoot snorted. The deputy was usually watching the RiverClan camp, but for meetings like this, she would come to the main camp. "Only a fool would assume that," she said. "Runningwind is neither brave nor smart enough to bring about a rebellion. If anything, he is still angry about the loss of sister. He likely feared for his life after his outburst at the Gathering, found a few cats who wanted to go with him, and fled."

Tigerstar nodded firmly. "I agree. However, that does not make him less of a traitor. If he or his runaway friends are spotted, whether it be on or off TigerClan land, they are to killed on the spot." He let out a small growl. "And if one more of my cats goes missing, I will not hesitate to send search parties far outside our borders to kill every last traitor who has left our ranks."

Blackclaw raised his head. "TigerClan! TigerClan!"

First, it was Tigerstar's main supporters who took up the cry, and slowly, it spread to much of the clan. Swiftpaw was silent until he was nudged roughly by Beetlenose, and hissing, he yowled along with his clanmates. _I don't know he did it,_ Swiftpaw thought, eyes sweeping the clan. _But it looks like he just boosted moral after threatening to hunt and kill our own clanmates._

* * *

"When do I get my reward?" Blackclaw growled, bristling slightly. "I've done everything for you, Tigerstar. I'm even impressing it upon the kits that following you is the only true path of a warrior. Reedkit is always pretending to be you in mock battles. Even much of the Ri- the river-born cats are becoming more warm to the idea of you leading us all. I have done _everything-_ "

"I am aware," Tigerstar interrupted. "All in due time. Darkstripe is a fool, I know, but he has long since been at my side. When all clans are under my leadership, you will have a place as a deputy. You may have your pick of either of BrokenClan's camps."

"I want the river," Blackclaw demanded. "I deserve it."

 _You best watch your tone, Blackclaw. I can replace you in a heartbeat._ "Leopardfoot will be in the nursery within six moons," Tigerstar twitched his ears. "So when that happens, you will be given _temporary_ deputyship. If you impress me well, perhaps there will be changes."

Blackclaw blinked, surprised. "Wait- how do you know she'll be in the nursery? Don't think I've ever seen her friendly with any tom."

"That is because you do not pay attention to details, Blackclaw," Tigerstar smiled dryly. "And is exactly why _I_ am leader, and the rest of you buffoons are not. You are dismissed."

Blackclaw parted his jaws to speak, then shut them, nodding sharply. He still seemed confused, but turned and padded from the den, grumbling. Tigerstar chuckled quietly to himself. _What an idiot. Blackclaw is good muscle, nothing more. He is easily replaceable. Leopardfoot will bear my kits in due time. There is no use for foolish, hot-headed deputies when my own children can fight alongside me._

 _All in due time._

* * *

 _Swiftpaw's dream was blurred, but vivid. He was sitting in a hollow inside a tree, and_ Runningwind _was facing him. The tom's ears were flattened against his skull, looking ashamed yet frantic. "Please, Red!" The tom begged. "Petaldust! We can sneak one more out, right? Just her! My kits will be hurt by him if she stays-"_

Red? _Runningwind seemed to think he was someone else. A rouge? One of the cats helping them run away? Swiftpaw spoke without thinking, and the voice was not his own. It was raspy, but firm. "No, Runningwind," he growled. "We can't risk it. Not now, at least. I made a mistake getting this many at once. Our numbers are still small, and most of them can't even fight."_

 _Swiftpaw realised the blurriness was from his right eye. He shut it, and it seemed somewhat clearer. How did he hurt it? When?_

" _But Red-!"_

" _No!" Swiftpaw snapped, and felt a throb in his throat. He coughed once, before clearing his throat. The rasping must be from an injury as well. He didn't sound like an elder, just odd. "No. I'm sorry, Runningwind, but Mint and I agreed it would be foolish. Magpie overheard the meeting. Tigerstar would find us in a heartbeat if he sent out enough patrols outside his borders."_

" _Mouse-dung!" Runningwind spat. "You're a coward, Red! If you weren't you would've came-"_

"Get up!" Swiftpaw gasped as he was shoved roughly awake. "Get up, now!"

"What?" Swiftpaw blinked, looking up at Darkstripe, who was looming over him. Around him, the other apprentices were grumbling or standing as the deputy shouted for them to awaken. "What's going on?"

"BrokenClan is attacking the river camp!" Darkstripe snapped. "They need reinforcements, so you're all getting up _now_."

A few more cuffs and shoves, and the six apprentices were out. Swiftpaw blinked up at the sky, surprised to see it was still night. Other warriors were hurrying out of the dens, some taking off out of camp already. "Go!" Darkstripe ordered, clawing at Thornpaw's tail, who was taking the longest. "Get moving! _Now_!"

Swiftpaw stumbled ahead, still trying to shake off sleep. It took a moment, but soon the apprentices were running for Sunningrocks. Other warriors streaked past them, while a few could be heard crashing through the bushes behind them. Swiftpaw couldn't help but think how messy this was. Their Warriors were completely scattered. _I guess it can't be helped. It's the middle of the night, for StarClan's sake! Why is BrokenClan even attacking? We haven't done anything!_

The trees cleared, and his paws scraped against the rough stones of Sunningrocks. Ahead, cats were plunging into the river, and further, he could hear the screeches of battle. When he reached the water, the tom faltered, memory of his near-death experience still fresh in his mind.

He felt a pelt brush against his. _Mosspaw._ "Together," she said, firmly, though he could feel her shaking slightly too.

"Together," he agreed, and they both stepped in.

The water was cold enough to make his jaws snap together in shock. It was freezing, more so than when he had almost drowned. Swiftpaw gritted his teeth, and continued on until there was no longer sand beneath his paws. The two apprentices paddled across the river, confidence growing with each stroke.

When he felt mud under his paws, he heaved a sigh of relief. _Thank StarClan._

Mosspaw shook herself for a moment. "We made it," she breathed, sounding just as relieved.

"Come on!" Frogleap growled as he passed them. "We can't waste any more time!"

Swiftpaw and Mosspaw shared a determined glance before nodding. This would be a bloody battle.

 _We'll make it out. We have to._

* * *

 **PS: Sedgecreek gushing about Willowpelt wasn't a mistake.**


	8. Chapter 6 - Waterlogged

**AN: Sorry I missed my usual update time! I just needed a bit more time to catch up with writing since I had a triple update. There may or may not be a Sunday update this weekend- it'll depend on how much work I have to do. Sorry it's a bit short, but I wanted to get it to youas soon as I could.**

 **Reviews:**

 **WildChild13: Thanks so much, that means a lot! As for your question, potentially. I wasn't planning to, but if you leave one in the reviews (or PM me) I might use it! I will be using rogues later on.**

* * *

Rabbitwing hissed as she felt claws in her back as a heavy weight landed on her. She was nearly thrown off balance, but managed to stay on her paws, claws digging into the sandy ground. The earth in the river camp was nearly all sand, or just very soft dirt, making it easy to slip and skid in the darkness. However, the TigerClan warriors were far outnumbered. It seemed both clans had their main camps populated much more than their other.

"Get… off!" Rabbitwing reared up, hissing in pain again as she felt her assailant's claws scratch as they sought purchase on her back. However, WindClan blood lent to long, powerful legs, and none could keep an easy grip on the coarse pelt of a moor-born cat. The cat- an apprentice, it seemed, fell back and landed hard on the ground with a yelp.

Rabbitwing whirled around, swiping and clawing at the she-cat's shoulder. The young cat screeched and rolled over, trying to stand. She faced Rabbitwing with a favored paw, leaning on her other three legs unsteadily. Rabbitwing took one glance at the paw and cuffed the apprentice's ears, claws sheathed. "I won't fight you like that," she hissed. "Find someone you can handle, kit." The apprentice's jaw dropped in fury, but Rabbitwing sprang away, eyes fixed upon a TigerClan tom.

"The reinforcements are here!"

Rabbitwing froze, skidding to a halt as warriors were leaping out from the river and racing into battle. Behind the leading cats, more were following from the forest, plunging into the water from Sunningrocks. _Hare-dung! I didn't even want to fight this battle, but now there's no way we can win._ This battle went against every WindClan tactic she'd been taught as a kit, and here, she felt defenseless.

"Fight them back!" Brokenstar roared, as he pinned a tom beneath him. "We can still win!"

"Get off my land!" Rabbitwing watched, frozen in place, as Tigerstar burst from the river, and leaped, ramming into her leader. The two toms, shrieking, rolled over and over as they wrestled for dominance. While some cats were still fighting, a large number from both clans had stopped, watching their leaders fight. Those with experience in battle knew that the tide of the battle depended on their leader, and if one lost, so would their clan.

After a few moments of scuffling, Tigerstar caught Brokenstar in the stomach, then rolled over and pinned him beneath him. "Your first mistake will be your last, Brokenstar!" He raised a paw to strike-

And a she-cat, screeching, dashed forward, ramming into Tigerstar's side. Unbalanced, he stumbled off of the tom.

Brokenstar leaped to his paws and yowled. "What are you waiting for, lizard-brains? Rip them to pieces!" He bounded after Tigerstar, who now had a BrokenClan apprentice named Webpaw stuck on his back as well as the first she-cat batting at his face.

Rabbitwing swung her head from side to side, trying to find somewhere to go. She spotted Wrenflight being backed against a rock and hissing, raced to her sister's defense.

The she-cat hissing in Wrenflight's face didn't notice Rabbitwing's approach until the BrokenClan she-cat had launched herself forward and sunk her claws into her haunches. Rabbitwing jerked backwards as the she-cat screeched in surprise, then let go. As the TigerClan warrior turned around to face her new attacker, Wrenflight seized the opportunity to claw at the she-cat's tail. The TigerClan cat yowled, and though she tried to swing a paw at Rabbitwing, she was muddled by the two attackers.

A desperate cry startled Rabbitwing. "Help me!" She glanced to her left, towards the river, to see Whitepaw being dragged into the river by Blackclaw.

"No!" Rabbitwing yowled, and without thinking of Wrenflight, hounded after the tom.

Blackclaw yanked the apprentice farther in, and he was underwater. Rabbitwing could see the splashes as Whitepaw struggled under the tom's grip. Blackclaw grinned as she came within reach, and before Rabbitwing could collide with him, he stepped out of the way. Whitepaw reared up, gasping, but Blackclaw quickly pinned him under again as Rabbitwing turned around, shaking away water that had splashed up into her face as she skidded into the river. "You snake-heart!" She spat, bristling. "Let him go!" Rabbitwing crouched, and pounced again, but Blackclaw reared up, and while dodging her paws, wrapped his forelegs around her neck and fell back, gripping tightly to the she-cat.

Rabbitwing couldn't help but gasp as her head went underwater and smacked sharply into the mud. Bubbles flew out of her nose as she felt air being crushed from her chest by Blackclaw's strong paws. _How do these TigerClan cats stay so balanced in the water? How did he pull off that move?_ Rabbitwing tried to scratch at him, but all but one foreleg was pinned, and his grip felt like she was being held down by a giant stone.

Just as Rabbitwing's struggles were getting weaker, she saw a cat slam into Blackclaw and knock him off of her. She twisted back onto her paws and her head broke the water. She gasped for breath, thanking StarClan. The she-cat coughed, having swallowed a bit of water, but there was not too much.

"Flea-bag!" _Bristlefur!_ Rabbitwing's brother was slashing at the TigerClan tom's shoulder, knocking him into deeper water.

Rabbitwing could see that he had it handled. Bristlefur had the upper hand from the shallow water, and the ferocity of his attacks continued to force Blackclaw to have to back away to avoid them. _I've got to make sure Whitepaw is fine._

The small black-and-white tom was struggling to keep his head above the water as he tried to get out of the river, tripping constantly. Rabbitwing padded to his side. "Come on. I'll carry you out." Ignoring his weak protest, she grabbed his scruff in her jaws and hauled him out of the water. Because of Brokenstar's plan to teach apprentices from such a young age, Whitepaw was only four moons old, and still with his soft kit fur. The poor thing was soaked to the bone, and had a number of scratches, though he luckily wasn't bleeding too heavily.

As she carried him, he relaxed with a sigh, going limp in her jaws.

"BrokenClan!" Brokenstar yowled. "Retreat!"

Rabbitwing glanced back at her brother, Whitepaw swinging in her jaws. He splashed water into Blackclaw's face, then turned and ran to the shore, kicking up more as he ran. Wrenflight was also separating from her adversary, boxing the she-cat's ears once more before fleeing. _Thank StarClan, they're both still safe. At least Flywhisker didn't have to fight, the clumsy badger. He would've drowned himself accidentally._

The brown-and-white she-cat broke into a run as Leopardfoot started towards her, refusing to drop the little apprentice she was carrying. The jeering howls of TigerClan echoed behind them as the abandoned the camp, racing towards the small twoleg bridge they had come from.

"Cowards!"

"You scum!"

"Come back here and I'll spread you from here to Highstones!"

When the last screeches had died out, and they had made it safely across the bridge, the group slowed, and Rabbitwing set the apprentice down.

After Brokenstar had caught his breath, he spoke. "The injured should go to the moor camp. It'll be harder to get across the Thunderpath with them. Unless you only have minor injuries, head there. I want four warriors to escort them. I'll send Runningnose when we return. Will anyone volunteer to go, or do I need to have Clawface choose?"

The ShadowClan-born cats shuffled their paws awkwardly. It was clear that they, for the most part, disliked the moor as much as Rabbitwing and Bristlefur hated the marsh.

"I'll go," Rabbitwing offered quickly. _Anything to get away from Brokenstar and that bog._

"No," Brokenstar twitched his tail, smiling at her. "You've hardly spent any time in the main camp. Bristlefur, you go. And... what's your name? Onewhisker? You go too." He examined the rest of his tired warriors. "And Flintfang and Nutwhisker. That'll do."

Rabbitwing gritted her teeth. The glances and once-overs Brokenstar had been giving her ever since she came to the marsh had been awful. _I just want this mangy flea-bag to leave me alone._

The chosen warriors gathered up those who were notably injured, and slowly began their walk to the moor camp. Rabbitwing watched them go, with a pang in her heart. _That's my home,_ She thought. _And Brokenstar won't let me go back._

"Now, who did we lose?" Brokenstar asked, glancing at Clawface.

"Only Runningpaw and Deerfoot," Clawface said, shrugging nonchalantly.

Brokenstar nodded. "A shame," he commented, then turned and began to walk. "Come. We're going back to camp."

* * *

When Brokenstar broke the news of the losses of Deerfoot and Runningpaw, a few cats cried out in anguish. However, most seemed as unaffected as Clawface.

Tornear in particular was hanging his head, Rabbitwing noticed. He had been poor Runningpaw's mentor. "I should have done more," she heard him murmur. "Should've taught her better."

"I would like to call upon one warrior in particular," Brokenstar went on, ignoring those who were grieving. "Applefur, step forward."

A mottled she-cat stepped from the gathered cats, eyes glowing. _She's the one that attacked Tigerstar,_ Rabbitwing thought, eyes narrowing.

"Applefur most bravely assisted me in taking one of Tigerstar's lives," Brokenstar smirked, nodding to the she-cat. "And for this service, you are now to be one of my warriors."

Rabbitwing blinked in surprise. It was commonly known in BrokenClan that while all were BrokenClan warriors, Brokenstar considered his closest supporters his personal warriors. They, like Blackfoot, enforced his rules with tooth and claw.

"It is an honor, Brokenstar," Applefur dipped her head, smile matching her leader's. "To serve the one true leader of the forest."

Rabbitwing could see some hissing quietly, edging away from the she-cat. Brokenstar's goons were untrusted, and unliked, and it was clear that none who were not one of them wanted to be near her now. _How can anyone want to be one of his cats? He's purely evil!_

She stiffened as Brokenstar's gaze settled directly upon her. "Hopefully, we will have more loyals to join you, Applefur."

 _As if!_ Rabbitwing curled her lip, and was only further infuriated by his chuckle. "This meeting is dismissed."

 _I'll jump off of Highstones before I swear any shred of loyalty to you,_ Brokenstar. Rabbitwing unsheathed her claws, digging them into the soft, damp earth. _I won't give up the last bit of honor I have in this wretched clan._


	9. Chapter 7 - Recovering & Assessment

**Sorry I didn't update on Sunday! I had the chapter finished, I just kept forgetting. Here's a bit longer of a chapter to make up for it.**

* * *

"We're losing him!" Vixenpaw cried, pressing more cobwebs to Reedtail's stomach. The dark tom was still lying on his side on the bank of the river, as Mudfur had ordered it would be too dangerous to move him.

Too many warriors had been dangerously injured, and no cat that had been in the river camp when BrokenClan attacked was without some wound.

They had already lost Loudbelly and Heavypaw, and many more were only just clinging to life.

"More cobwebs!" Mudfur yowled from where he was desperately doing the same as Vixenpaw to Cinderpaw. "We need much more than this!"

Those who had come from the main camp, who were much less injured than the others, were frantically racing in and out of camp, carrying swaths of cobwebs on sticks.

"Here!" Shadepaw dropped a thick bundle of cobwebs at Vixenpaw's feet. "Please, don't let him die!" She stared down at the ravaged body of her mentor, fear clear in her wide eyes.

"Help me, then!" Vixenpaw snapped. "Press these to his wound."

The pair worked together, pressing layer after layer to the tom's stomach. The webs were soaked with blood, but as they continued, the blood stopped pouring. "Did we..." Shadepaw glanced up at Vixenpaw. "Did we save him?"

Vixenpaw stared at Reedtail's chest, paws still firmly pressed to his wound. _Come on... breathe, for StarClan's sake!_

She let out a sigh of relief as she saw the shallowest of breaths rise in his chest. "He's alright, for now, but I think he'll be unconscious for awhile. He's lucky."

Shadepaw smiled, mirroring the relief Vixenpaw felt. "Thank you," she murmured. "He wouldn't have made it without you."

Vixenpaw nodded. _There are still more cats to save before dawn breaks_. She turned away, and saw Mudfur back away from Cinderpaw, who was trying to sit up. He shared a glance with her, and nodded. "Go take care of Willowpelt," he ordered. "I'll see to Tigerstar."

Vixenpaw padded to where Willowpelt lay, a bit further down the bank. Her gaze flickered weakly to Vixenpaw. "I'm going to help you," The medicine cat murmured. "But you're going to have to hold on." She glanced back towards Shadepaw. "Bring me the rest of those cobwebs!" She called. "There's more cats who need them."

* * *

By Sunhigh, Vixenpaw wanted to collapse. She was worn down, by both the exhaustion of working through the night and half the day, and the losses of those she couldn't save.

Reedtail had seemed to be improving, until about an hour after sunrise, he was found convulsing in his makeshift nest, threw up blood, and died. Mudfur said something inside him had been bleeding, and it couldn't have been reached by any amount of cobwebs.

Frostfur had been discovered in the river, throat torn viciously. No one had even known she had fought in the battle.

Darkstripe had also died soon after having his wounded bandaged, though Vixenpaw felt little remorse for him.

Cinderpaw and Willowpelt, however, had been steadily recovering. They had been the worst of the survivors, though they were both able to sit up in their nests and lick their wounds now.

Vixenpaw padded towards Mudfur, who was consoling Shadepaw. "Can I rest, now?" She asked, and both cats stopped talking to look at her.

"Of course," Mudfur nodded. She could see from the way his eyes couldn't stay quite open and the sag in shoulders that he was just as exhausted. "Do you remember where the old medicine cat den is?"

Vixenpaw nodded. _How could I forget anything about this place?_ She had been born and raised in this camp, and even if Tigerstar forced her to stay in the forest until she was as old as the trees, she would never stop missing it.

When she padded into the small den, Vixenpaw frowned at its sorry state. The roof was caved in in the back, and spiderwebs had been built throughout the leafy walls. She could vaguely recall it when it was well-built and full of herbs. She had once wandered in as a kit, only to leave retching because of the stinky herbs.

Vixenpaw didn't have enough energy to worry about scraping together a nest, and she flopped down on the soft ground, and closed her eyes.

 _"It'll be time, soon."_

 _Vixenpaw was standing in the same dying forest. It seemed worse, now. The trees seemed charred, as though they had been burned, yet there was a prominent smell of wet, rotting wood. She could see Lionheart sitting, staring up at the sky._

 _"Time?" Vixenpaw asked. "For what?"_

 _"The moon," Lionheart said, simply. "Don't you see it?"_

 _She stared up at the moon, but it was as wide and clear as ever. "It's a full moon," she replied, confused. "It seems the same."_

 _"It will not be so," Lionheart shook his head. "Don't you see it? The moon is bleeding."_

Vixenpaw blinked awake. _That was... odd._ She looked around the den, only to see that it was dark, and that Mudfur was curled up a few mouse-lengths away, asleep. _It's nighttime. How long was I asleep? That dream felt like it was only moments long._

 _Well. I don't think I'll be sleeping much after that._ She sat up in her nest, then leaned forward to stretch out her back. _I wonder if anyone else is awake._

The burials for the dead had been quick affairs, with no burial and no kind words for their journey to the stars. Tigerstar had ordered the bodies be dragged a bit away from camp, then buried there.

Vixenpaw padded from the den, pelt bushing out as a cold breeze ruffled her fur. Though new-leaf was on its way, it still got chilly quite often. There were still days here and there that for the first few hours of dawn, the grass would be frosty.

She spotted Cinderpaw, Frostfur's daughter, sitting alone on the riverbank, staring at the stars.

"It's cold out here," Vixenpaw remarked, and the younger she-cat jumped. "What are you doing?"

Cinderpaw glanced over her shoulder as the black she-cat padded closer. "Just... thinking."

"About Frostfur?" Vixenpaw asked, sitting beside her.

"Yes." Cinderpaw sighed, staring down at her paws. "I miss her already. I wanted her to buried in the forest, but Tigerstar said it was a waste of energy and time. He wouldn't even let me help bury her." She sniffed, scuffling her paws. "I don't understand why he's like this."

"Because he's cruel," Vixenpaw growled. "He's cruel, and he doesn't care about anyone but himself. Maybe his kits, too, but there's fat chance of that."

Cinderpaw's eyes widened. "Shh!" She gasped. "You can't say that!"

Vixenpaw furrowed her brow. "What?"

"Tigerstar knows everything," Cinderpaw whispered, eyes glancing from side to side, as though she expected the tom to burst from the bushes at any moment. "Blackclaw told us that he hears everything."

"Blackclaw is a frog-brain," Vixenpaw snorted. "He just wants you to listen to Tigerstar."

"But what if he's right?" Cinderpaw fretted. "What if he does hear everything?"

Vixenpaw shuddered slightly. Suddenly, it made sense why the kits and most apprentices both feared and respected their leader so much. Vixenpaw had never understood why Blackclaw spent so much time in the nursery and with the kits- for he had no mate of his own- he wanted to teach them to be afraid of their leader. Many warriors feared him, yes, but not in the way the younger clan cats did.

"Blackclaw is a liar," Vixenpaw finally muttered. "You should get some rest."

"Okay," Cinderpaw murmured, but she still looked uneasy. "I'll try."

When she padded away, Vixenpaw sighed and looked out across the river. As soon as the injured were fine enough, they'd be back under those awful trees, away from here.

She blinked as she saw a dark shape moving slowly across Sunningrocks. Vixenpaw narrowed her eyes, staring hard at it. It looked towards her, and she could see the gleam of feline eyes. "Hey!" She called. "Who's there?"

The cat's eyes widened in surprise, and it took off, heading upstream along the river.

 _What in StarClan's name...?_ Vixenpaw rose, craning her neck to watch as the cat bolted out of sight. _Should I follow them?_ She shook her head. _There's no point. I'd never catch them at this point. Who on earth was creeping this far into our territory, though?_ She twitched her whiskers, overcome with curiosity. _I could follow their scent trail._

She kneaded her paws. _Well… I could cross the river and just see if I know the scent._

 _Okay._

Vixenpaw headed towards the stepping-stones- she didn't want to get wet this late at night. She hurried across, then padded towards where she had seen the figure. She sniffed around, and froze when she caught the scent. _Is that… Runningwind?_ She breathed in, deeply, and stood straight again, eyes wide. _That's him. What was he doing back here? Does he have a_ death wish _, or something?_

She glanced towards the forest, brow furrowed. _He must've wanted to see how Petaldust is doing. But still, what was he thinking? Tigerstar would have killed him on the spot if he'd been caught!_

* * *

Swiftpaw dropped a minnow on the fresh-kill pile, burning with aggravation. Here he was, days after the battle, confined yet again to the other side of the river.

Mosspaw tossed her carp beside his catch, blinking at him as she noticed his grim expression. _I guess it's not all bad, with her around._ He liked being able to spend time with Mosspaw without Tigerstar breathing down their necks about battle practice. He just hated being back on the river so soon.

"Something wrong?" She asked, whiskers twitching. "You look like you got stung on the nose by a bee."

Swiftpaw snorted in amusement. "No. I just..." He glanced briefly back at the forest. "I miss it there. I barely got to spend any time."

"It's not all bad here," Mosspaw nudged him with her shoulder. "RiverClan has its beauties, too." As though realizing what she had just said, her eyes widened in fear. "Please don't tell anyone I said that!"

Just two days ago, Dustfang had commented on wanting to get back to ThunderClan, and Blackclaw had turned around, leaped, and pinned the tom to the ground as he raked his claws down the younger warrior's back. Dustfang hadn't been allowed to see Vixenpaw- who was staying alone in the river camp, while Mudfur tended to the queens in the forest- and had to go on patrol three times that day.

"Of course I won't tattle on you," Swiftpaw reassured her. "What kind of friend would I be then?"

Mosspaw still looked a little frightened, glancing around to be sure no one else had taken notice. After a moment, she sighed in relief. "Thank StarClan. I just don't want to end up like Dustfang. He can be prickly, but he didn't deserve that."

Swiftpaw nodded. "Now we know what Tigerstar means by punishments."

"Swiftpaw! Mosspaw!" The black-and-white tom blinked as he heard Longtail calling his name. His mentor was padding up to him, whiskers twitching. "Tigerstar wants all the apprentices in the main camp, immediately. Big things are happening!"

Swiftpaw shared a confused glance with Mosspaw. _Big things?_ "Okay." Swiftpaw nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Swiftpaw expected to be filled with relief and excitement when he entered camp, but he could feel and see the tension as soon as he stepped foot in camp. Many cats were uneasily gathered around the Highrock, whispering quietly to one another. Tigerstar was sitting atop the rock, and as soon as he spotted Longtail leading the apprentices, he rose. "Let this meeting begin." The dark tabby had a loose smile, one that struck more anxiety into Swiftpaw. Something was off, that was for sure.

"I have a few announcements," he began. "Bramblekit, Tawnykit, Ashkit, Fernkit, and Leafkit, please come forward."

The queens blinked in surprise. "Tigerstar?" Brindleface fretted. "My kits are only three moons old."

"With the recent battle, it is clear to me that we are in dire need of more warriors and apprentices," Tigerstar's tail twitched. He seemed to letting Brindleface's remark pass- a surprising thing for the tom. "Like Brokenstar, I will also be apprenticing kits at three moons, if necessary, though they will not be put in battle patrols until they have had two moons of battle training." He looked down at the kits, who were slowly coming forward. Bramblekit was the most confident of the five, while the others seemed unsure. Kits usually _knew_ when they were being apprenticed, but this was clearly a surprise.

"Now." Tigerstar's gaze swept the clan, as though daring someone to speak up again. "Bramblekit, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Bramblepaw. I will be your mentor."

 _No surprise there,_ Swiftpaw thought, wrinkling his nose. Bramblepaw's eyes were wide with excitement, and he came closer to sit by the rock, as he could not touch noses with his father quite yet. There were clear looks of disapproval from senior warriors, but again, after Dustfang's punishment, none were keen to speak out.

"Tawnykit, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Tawnypaw. Leopardfoot will be your mentor." Tigerstar went on to assign Ashpaw to Blackclaw, Fernpaw to Frogleap, and Leafpaw to Sunfish. The apprentices' ceremonies were quick affairs, and it seemed that Tigerstar had just whimsically chosen the mentors for Fernpaw and Leafpaw.

 _It makes sense, for him,_ Swiftpaw thought, watching as each tiny apprentice sat beside their mentor. _Ashpaw is the most outgoing, the bravest, and the most eager to fight. Fernpaw shies away from fighting, and Leafpaw is just quiet. He probably sees no potential in them._

"I hope Tigerstar stays true to his word," Mosspaw murmured in Swiftpaw's ear. "Otherwise those _kits_ are going to be slaughtered by BrokenClan."

Swiftpaw nodded grimly.

"Moving on," Tigerstar rumbled. "We have a… _special_ warrior ceremony. Shadepaw, come forward."

 _Shadepaw?_

The dark gray she-cat padded forward, grinning. _She looks like she was expecting this._ "Because you are one of the older apprentices who Blackclaw has said is worthy of my gifts, and the honor of serving as a _truly_ loyal warrior, you will be the first to attempt this assessment." Tigerstar raised his head. "Bring out the prisoner!"

Swiftpaw's eyes widened as Blackclaw and Voleclaw emerged from Tigerstar's den, a gray tom cat between them, eyes wide with a mix of fury and fear. _A rogue? Why do they have a rogue?_

Shadepaw was not quite so confident now. She was rigid, clearly surprised.

Tigerstar stared down at the rogue tom. "Face me!"

The tom turned around, glaring at Tigerstar.

"There are two outcomes," Tigerstar began. "You will fight this apprentice. Claws unsheathed- until one of you is incapable of continuing. If she defeats you, you will be killed. Defeat her, and you will become a warrior of my clan. Do you understand?"

The tom spat. "I want nothing to do with you. I beat the kit, and you let me go."

Tigerstar's whiskers twitched in amusement. "You struggle with food, yes? With defending your territory? Have you ever suffered a cold leaf-bare night, alone? What will you do if you fall ill? If you join us, you will forever have the loyalty of clanmates, the guarantee of a full belly, and care if you should need it. You would be a fool to refuse."

The tom regarded his words. "Maybe."

The TigerClan leader nodded to Shadepaw. "Face her." He looked to Shadepaw. "Do you understand the terms of this battle?"

Shadepaw swallowed, then narrowed her eyes in determination. "Yes."

"Very well." Tigerstar nodded. "If you pass, you will become a full warrior of TigerClan. Now- begin!"

 _This is wrong,_ Swiftpaw thought. _This is so, so wrong._

"Make a circle!" Blackclaw ordered to the warriors closest to the rock. "Give them some room!"

As the clan moved back to make space, the two cats sized each other up, circling each other for a few long moments. Finally, the rogue let out a screech, then pounced. Shadepaw ducked and slid under him easily, spinning on her paws to lash out at his tail, clawing a few tufts of fur away.

Growling, the tom whipped around. Shadepaw shot forward, then reared up, batting at the tom's face. He ducked his face aside, but her onslaught kept coming. She managed somehow to take a few steps forward on her hind legs, swiping over and over, forcing him to move back without letting him make a move.

The tom then growled, and after ducking a swipe from her right paw, launched himself forward and rammed into her stomach. She screeched, and crashed to the ground on her back. The rogue pinned her to the ground, churning his hindpaws into her stomach. Swiftpaw could see the gashes he was tearing, and wanted to leap to her defense. He kneaded his paws into the ground anxiously. He didn't quite like Shadepaw- she was endlessly loyal to Tigerstar, and nagged about everything- but she didn't deserve to go like this.

 _Wait!_ He wanted to sigh in relief as he realized what she was doing. Shadepaw had gone completely limp, head rolling back as she played dead. The tom stopped his movements, and took a paw off her chest.

 _Slash._

Shadepaw had swung out of nowhere, claws slicing through his throat.

The tom choked, coughed, stumbled, and collapsed.

Swiftpaw had expected her to win after playing dead- but not like that. He thought Blackclaw would have finished the tom off after she pinned him or he surrendered- but he had never seen that move, and had not been expecting it at all. He was frozen, staring at her as she rose. _She just… killed him._

Shadepaw stared down at the tom, who was twitching on the ground. He looked up at her, pleading in his eyes. She scoffed, and looked up at Tigerstar. "That was your challenge?"

"I've…" Mosspaw trembled beside her. "I've never seen her like this before."

Tigerstar laughed. "My, my. You surpassed my expectations. Very well. Because you have successfully completed your assessment, you are hereby a full warrior of TigerClan. From this moment on, you will be known as Shadepelt. Your clan honors your strength and loyalty, and you are welcomed as a full warrior of this clan." He jumped down from the Highrock to lay his muzzle on top of Shadepelt's, and she licked his shoulder in return. "Rather than hold silent vigil, you will be tasked with burying the prisoner. When you return, you may eat."

"We have to do that," Mosspaw whispered. "We're going to have to _murder_ someone to become warriors."

 _I won't._ Swiftpaw narrowed his eyes to slits. _I won't sink that low. I will_ never _do that. StarClan, please let your sign come soon- I'm going to need to find those warriors sooner rather than later._


	10. Chapter 8 - Wild Goose(?) Chase

**Early update since I'm camping this weekend! Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

* * *

Applefur stretched luxuriously in her nest, parting her jaws in a huge yawn. It had been half a moon since the battle, when Brokenstar accepted her into his personal warriors. The apprentices, who had always been tasked with building nests, now lined hers with soft, downy feathers. She was one of the first to pick from the fresh-kill pile. She led any patrol she went on. Cats respected her- they may not like her so much, now, but they respected her.

And surprisingly, Brokenstar's loyals weren't half-bad. Some, like Tangleburr or Boulder, were like her. They didn't care much for Brokenstar himself, but they recognized his powerful leadership, and being one of his warriors made their lives a whole lot easier.

Applefur hadn't really had friends before, aside from Snowbird, who had been avoiding her ever since she became one of Brokenstar's cats. She wasn't ever _disliked_ , either, but she hadn't been friendly with anyone. Being in this new circle had given her a few cats to share prey with, and boast over their catches, which was nice.

She raised her head, settling to lay on her stomach. Her eyes narrowed slightly. It was still just only dawn; she could spare a few more moments of rest. Applefur had slept well, as it was the first night she had not had that dream.

 _And thank StarClan for that._

The dream- the one with the blood-red moon and war- refused to leave her. Every night, save for the last, it had been the same. Sometimes, Applefur would try to run the other way, but things got in her way, and she always ended up in that clearing, on the stone, watching cats battle to the death.

"You awake?" Cinderfur called, peering up from his nest. "Want to get out and go hunting for a bit?"

Applefur slowly stood, taking time to stretch each limb. "Sure," she nodded. "That sounds good."

Another bonus to her new position was the den. Due to the large number of warriors, a new den had been made under the roots of one of the pines that made up camp. Whitepaw had been playing around it a few moons back, and his paw had slipped in a small hole. They'd dug it out, and after noticing a tunnel, Brokenstar had a few warriors dig more. They'd found a large, gaping hole beneath the tree, likely a very old badger set that had since been covered by the growing tree and shifting earth. A little more digging, and some clearing-out of cobwebs, and it was home.

There was plenty of room for the cats, and the solid walls kept in the warmth.

Cinderfur stood and arched his back, then padded towards the hole, careful to step over Tangleburr and Mudclaw without waking them. Applefur followed, and after he left, she climbed up through the hole, then shook out her pelt to get rid of the dirt. "Where do you want to go?" she asked the tom.

"How about near the Thunderpath?" Cinderfur twitched his whiskers. "I don't think anyone has been there in a few days."

Applefur nodded. "That's fine. Do you want to take anyone else?"

"Hmm." Cinderfur looked around camp, glancing at the few other cats who were awake. "Hey! Stumpytail!"

The brown tabby blinked and looked over his shoulder. "Oh. Mornin'."

"You want to come hunting?" Cinderfur called. "It'd do your fat rump a lot of good!"

Stumpytail snorted and padded towards them. "I'm no fatter than you, Cinderfur."

"Please!" Cinderfur laughed. "Look at you! You'll have more weight than Sorrelleap at this rate!"

Stumpytail shoved him playfully, growling in mock anger. "Need I remind you of how chubby _you_ were as an apprentice? You always scared all the lizards away with your thumping paws!"

Cinderfur's jaw dropped. "I did not!"

Applefur chuckled as the two brothers shot insults back and forth, emphasizing them with the occasional shove. The three warriors left camp, Applefur trailing a pawstep behind the toms.

Try as she might, she just couldn't shake the dream from the back of her mind. _What does it mean?_ It even though she had finally slept soundly last night, that didn't keep it from nagging her. _How could the moon be bathed in blood?_

"The grass is covered in dew," Cinderfur commented, slowing to match his pace with Applefur. "New-leaf will be here any day."

Applefur nodded eagerly. "There will be much more prey soon."

"And my kits won't be born in the snow," Stumpytail waited for the pair, then padded along Applefur's other side. "Runningnose said Leaf-bare births can be dangerous."

Applefur bobbed her head again, frowning. Dawncloud's kits had been born a moon and a half ago, and she'd lost two of her four kits. Lightkit had been stillborn, while Yewkit had only lived an hour. However, Finchkit and Fawnkit seemed to be growing stronger by the day, and had only just started to romp around the camp, getting under everyone's paws.

"I'm sure they'll be strong," Applefur purred, nudging him with her shoulder. "They'll have Sorrelleap's speed and your strength."

"You know?" Cinderfur said suddenly. "That's what's great about the clans combining. Our talents and strengths will mix, and we'll be stronger for it. We even went all Leaf-bare without a touch of the carrionplace's disease!"

"It's a blessing," Applefur agreed, whiskers twitching as they headed out of the pine forest. The Thunderpath was now in sight, as well as TigerClan territory in the distance. "We haven't had to hunt there with the moor prey."

"Speaking of prey..." Stumpytail dropped into a crouch. "Is that a turkey?"

Applefur's eyes widened. "It is! And look! There's two- no, three- farther down!"

Cinderfur kneaded his paws in excitement. "We'll feed the clan for days if we can catch one!"

Turkeys were rare, but occasionally wandered from the land beyond BrokenClan's borders. Applefur had only seen one once, when a hunting patrol dragged it in while she was just a kit. While they were large, they were as dumb as logs.

"We should sneak around and drive them into the forest," Stumpytail said, tail twitching as he watched the closest peck at the grass. "Then we could possibly catch more than one."

Cinderfur licked his lips. "Imagine the clan when they see our catch!"

Applefur rolled her eyes. "Let's get on with it, then! Or are you hoping if we wait long enough they'll drop dead with age?"

The toms laughed, but after a moment, the three were slinking along the side of the Thunderpath, circling around the small flock.

Cinderfur flicked his tail to each side, signaling that Applefur and Stumpytail should come at them from the side. "Make sure they don't split up!" he whispered, and when they were in position, he let out an ear-splitting yowl.

The turkeys heads shot up, and with another screech from Applefur, they took off.

Applefur raced after them, veering to the left of the group. Cinderfur chased from behind, while Stumpytail was running along the right, hissing at one who tried to dash by him.

Once they reached the forest, Cinderfur pushed himself faster, and leaped, pouncing on the one straggling behind the rest. While the other turkeys continued running into the thicker forest, gobbling, Applefur and Stumpytail swerved to run to Cinderfur's aide.

Cinderfur was clinging to the turkey's back, while Stumpytail went for its rear. Applefur narrowed her eyes and went for its neck, swiping while trying to avoid the massive wings.

Stumpytail ducked down and sunk his teeth into one of the turkey's legs, then yanked as hard as he could. Eyes wide, Cinderfur jumped clear as the turkey, cries growing more frantic, crashed to the ground.

Applefur reached its throat, and with a snap of her jaws, the turkey squawked, spasmed violently, and soon was still.

"We did it," Cinderfur panted, chest heaving. "We did it!"

Stumpytail grinned, chest puffing out. "You both ready for another?"

* * *

Applefur, with the help of Oakpaw and Webpaw, dragged the fourth and final turkey into camp.

It was now nearly noon, and the hunt had been extraordinarily successful. They had managed to catch the second turkey on their own, and as they tracked the remaining pair, they ran into another patrol of Clawface, Ratscar, Oakpaw, and Webpaw. After relaying the news of their discovery, the patrol had eagerly joined them, and they had finally caught the entire flock.

"I've never seen so much prey in my life!" Fernshade exclaimed, eyes wide.

Brokenstar was watching, and even he could not resist a pleased grin. "You've all done extremely well," he praised, padding towards the seven hunters. "I never dreamed I could see so much prey!"

Cinderfur nudged his brother. "It was all his idea," the warrior said, eyes full of pride. "And now we'll all have full bellies!"

"One of these should go to the moor camp," Rowanberry mused, looking equally awed by the catches. "Don't you think? There's no way everyone here can eat all of these."

Brokenstar considered her statement, and though Applefur thought he was about to disagree, he nodded. "I suppose you're right. After everyone's eaten, I'll send a patrol. The moor group is supposed to go tomorrow, anyhow. No harm in sending them early."

"I can go." A moor-born she-cat named Rabbitwing spoke up, eyes flashing with hope.

Brokenstar's gaze lingered on the she-cat, more intense than it had been moments before. _There's something there,_ Applefur narrowed her eyes. _Not love, no. But something. Interest._

"No," Brokenstar shook his head. "You've hardly spent time among us."

Rabbitwing curled her lips. "I've spent nearly a moon and a half!"

Brokenstar's tail twitched. "Hardly enough time," he smiled, and Rabbitwing only hissed.

Applefur watched with interest as she pointedly turned and stormed towards the camp entrance. As she left, Clawface cast a bewildered glance at his leader. "Should I chase her down?"

Brokenstar only laughed. "As I said. Her attitude livens the place up." He cleared his throat. "Now, eat! Everyone is welcome to the prey."

Even those who hated Brokenstar were approaching, gratitude shining in their eyes. "Could we use these tail feathers for bedding?" Wrenflight asked, sniffing at one of the turkeys. "There's more than enough to go around."

"I want to play with them!" Russetfur's kit, Hollykit, dashed forward and leaped up to claw at one of the feathers. "Look how big they are!"

 _They're big enough to become apprentices,_ Applefur thought, watching as Starlingkit and Emberkit, her siblings, creeped closer. _I'm sure Blackfoot is proud._ She glanced at the white tom, who was indeed watching his kits with amusement as he passed towards another to take a bit from it.

The day was filled with high spirits and full bellies. Each cat took their share, and returned for more. Prey was shared among those who didn't support their leader and those who did, and it seemed the bounty was boosting morale greatly.

Eventually, Snowbird approached Applefur, a large chuck of turkey clasped tightly in her jaws. She dropped it at Applefur's paws, regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you," Snowbird murmured. "Will you forgive me?"

Applefur blinked, then nodded. There was no need to hold a grudge over something so insignificant. "Of course."

Snowbird sighed in relief, then smiled warmly. "Would you like to share, then?"

Applefur purred, and leaned down to take a bite. Things _were_ improving, after all.

* * *

Rabbitwing burned with fury. She let out a snarl, knocking a stick with her paw that was in her way. _I hate it here. I hate this stupid forest, and this stupid Brokenstar, and this-_

She shivered as a cold wind ruffled her pelt. It was night, now, and she was a little surprised Brokenstar hadn't sent someone after by now.

Rabbitwing blinked, eyes adjusting. The little light that fell from the star-lit forest was... _off_. She couldn't quite place it. _It's probably nothing. Maybe a storm is brewing. But... it would be darker if there were clouds_.

Rabbitwing peered up at the sky, and her eyes widened in shock.

The moon was not a silvery sphere.

The moon was _red._

The words of the wind echoed in her mind. _When blood bathes the moon, find the stone touched by StarClan._

 _What stone?_ She wondered, unable to tear her gaze away from the dark moon and the eerie light it gave off. _The leaders' rock at Fourtrees? There are so many stones!_

A realization hit her. "The _Moonstone_!" she gasped aloud. "That must be it."

A rustling behind her startled her, and she whipped around, bristling. Applefur emerged from the undergrowth, eyes narrowed to slits.

"Did Brokenstar send you?" Rabbitwing hissed.

"No." Applefur turned her nose up towards the moon. "It's like... blood. Don't you think?"

Rabbitwing's fur flattened slightly. _Did she have a sign too?_ "What are you doing here then?"

"I have business to attend to, apparently," Applefur seemed to be regarding her with the same cautious yet curious expression. "I heard you mention the Moonstone. What are doing there?"

Rabbitwing rolled her eyes. "Oh, for StarClan's sake, let's stop kicking the mouse. Did you get a sign or not?"

Applefur nodded. "I did. I had a dream of standing atop a stone, surrounded by fighting cats. The moon turned red, and the stone beneath me glowed."

Rabbitwing's eyes lit up. "That _must_ be the Moonstone! It used to be tradition for every apprentice to travel there to see StarClan. The Moonstone glows under the moon. Come on, I know the way."

Applefur nodded, though still looked warily. As the two she-cats fell in step, Applefur couldn't help but wonder why StarClan chose her. _She's loyal to Brokenstar. Won't she just tell him if she sees anything?_ Rabbitwing cast a glance at her as they broke from the treeline and headed towards the Thunderpath. _Well... she doesn't seem as bad as the others. I just hope she turns out to not be cruel._

It took a while to reach the Mothermouth, the tunnel that led to the Moonstone, but when they did, Rabbitwing could smell TigerClan scent. _Are there more?_ She gulped, then flicked her tail for Applefur to follow. She sent a quick prayer to StarClan that whoever was inside was here to help and not to ambush them.


	11. Chapter 9 - The Moonstone

**This chapter jumps around to multiple POVs. Sorry about not updating Sunday! I totally forgot even though I had the chapter written already.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Wildchild- Sadly I didn't actually end up going :(. My stepmom and brother got sick and I wasn't exactly sick but I felt gross. No hot springs for me.**

 **Guest- Thanks so much!**

 **Foxtail- I missed the blood moon! I completely forgot about that until I saw posts about it the day after. My memory sucks, if you can't tell already.**

 **Queen Eradin- Thank you!**

* * *

 _Is that... Vixenpaw?_

Swiftpaw had been awaken by a screeching owl, only to find the moon above him red as blood. He highly doubted the prophecy had anything to do with the Highrock, so he took off, and it did not take long for him to think to travel to Highstones. He had cut through the forest to travel along the Thunderpath, so that he could avoid BrokenClan picking up his scent. As he had been passing into the moorland, he spotted a flash of a black pelt ahead.

 _Do I risk it?_ Swiftpaw craned his neck.

The cat ahead raised their head, scenting the air. _Fox-dung! I'm upwind of her. She'll know I'm here anyway._

The cat looked over their shoulder, and he saw a green gaze rest upon him. "Hey!" she hissed. "I know you. Why are you following me?"

Swiftpaw quicked his pace to catch up to Vixenpaw. Surely, the medicine cat must have had the sign as well? "I heard an omen," Swiftpaw confessed. "About lost warriors and the moon turning the color of blood."

Vixenpaw's eyes lit up. "You mean I'm not alone in this?"

"Guess not," Swiftpaw shrugged, craning his neck. "I can see Highstones now."

"Not too much further," Vixenpaw agreed, looking back ahead.

 _She's quiet,_ Swiftpaw thought, gaze flickering to the medicine cat for a heartbeat. _I wonder what she's thinking._ He did not know Vixenpaw well. She was the oldest of the apprentices, and kept her distance. She seemed irritable often, but nice enough. "I wonder if anyone else will come, too?"

Vixenpaw looked thoughtful. "It's possible. Maybe BrokenClan cats. I'm just not sure what this prophecy is supposed to even mean." She glanced up at the sky. "Except for that part. Creepy, isn't it?"

"I think the lost warriors could have something to do with Runningwind and the other runaways," Swiftpaw suggested, flinching as a monster roared by on the Thunderpath. "But otherwise I have no clue."

They travelled on in silence. Swiftpaw felt awkward, like he should be saying something, but Vixenpaw did not look uncomfortable. When they reached the cave- which looked more like a tunnel, in Swiftpaw's opinion- they paused. "This should be the Mothermouth," Vixenpaw muttered, but looked uncertain. "I asked Mudfur about a StarClan-touched stone, and he said the Moonstone would be inside here."

Swiftpaw bristled slightly. "You _told_ him about the prophecy?" _I hadn't even told Mosspaw!_

She glared at him. "Of course not! I just hinted at the Moonstone. I've never been because Tigerstar wants nothing to do with StarClan." Vixenpaw's tail twitched, looking annoyed. "Are we going to go in, or chatter outside like wrens?"

"Lead the way," Swiftpaw grumbled.

Vixenpaw nodded and ducked inside. When Swiftpaw followed, he was quickly aware of how cramped the tunnel was. His whiskers would occasionally brush one side or the other of the tunnel, and he would have a rush of fear that it was getting thinner. The thing was pitch-black, and the only thing he had to guide him was Vixenpaw's tail tip occasionally whisking in his face.

"We're almost there," Vixenpaw whispered. Swiftpaw could see she was right- there was the faintest of breezes blowing towards them. His heart sped up in anticipation. The breeze smelled of the musky, wet earth, and something sharp and _ancient._

The tunnel grew wider, and then, they found themselves in a wide cave.

Swiftpaw gasped.

Stone was hardly the word for the Moonstone. It was opaque, with a smooth base, and jagged cracks up at the top.

"We have to wait," Vixenpaw whispered. "Look up."

Swiftpaw stared upwards. There was a small hole in the top of the cave, where faint starlight was illuminating the cave. "That's where the breeze came from," Swiftpaw murmured.

"That's where the moon will pass, and the Moonstone will glow." Vixenpaw admired the beautiful stone. "It's... incredible."

Swiftpaw settled himself, drawing his paws close. The air here was cold, and it made him bush out his fur in the slightest.

It could have been minutes or hours that passed, but both apprentices jumped when they heard paw steps echoing from the Mothermouth. "Get ready, Swiftpaw," Vixenpaw hissed. "They might be friends, but they could be enemies, too."

Swiftpaw narrowed his eyes as he waited. _What if Tigerstar followed us?_

One she-cat emerged, blinking, and another followed.

The second, a mottled brown she-cat, let out a growl. "What are you doing here?"

"Really, Applefur?" The first met Swiftpaw's gaze levelly. "Haven't you guessed it already? Didn't you smell them?"

"We had the same omen," Vixenpaw nodded.

Applefur's eyes narrowed. "You're from TigerClan."

"And you're from BrokenClan," Swiftpaw snorted. "I get it, we hate each other because of the battle _your_ clan started."

"Can we work together, here?" The first snapped, looking frustrated. "Otherwise, I'm leaving, and you can figure this out for yourselves."

* * *

Rabbitwing was bluffing, of course. _I can't possibly do this on my own. Hopefully they think the same thing._ "Well?" She growled, when the tom flattened his ears.

"I'm with her," the black TigerClan she-cat agreed. "Let's get along, for StarClan's sake. Actually, quite literally. They need our help."

"Should we introduce ourselves?" Rabbitwing moved away from the tunnel and took a seat by the Moonstone. "I'm Rabbitwing, and this is Applefur."

"I'm Swiftpaw," the tom grumbled, still glaring at Applefur with distrust.

"Vixenpaw," the black she-cat said. "And can we all agree not to speak of anything we hear? I don't want Tigerstar or Brokenstar to know about this." Swiftpaw nodded.

"I won't say anything," Rabbitwing agreed. She gave Applefur a hard look. "And you?"

Applefur was silent for a moment. "Fine."

"Now what?" Swiftpaw asked, looking to Vixenpaw.

"We-" She broke off as the cavern was suddenly filled with that eerie red moonlight. The Moonstone was filled with it, and in turn, let off a faint crimson glow. "It's time," Vixenpaw whispered, staring at the Moonstone in awe. "Touch your nose to the Moonstone."

Rabbitwing approached it, and lowered herself into a crouch. She watched as Applefur touched her muzzle to the stone, and went rigid, eyes wide, before they closed. She swallowed before pressing her nose to the stone's surface.

Cold ripped through her like a tidal wave. She wanted to scramble away, yowl, or anything, but she was frozen. The cave around her was fading, until everything was dark, and all was lost.

* * *

Vixenpaw blinked herself awake. _We're here again._ She was the first to arrive.

A familiar golden tom emerged from the undergrowth. "Lionheart!" she called, blinking. "We've done what you've asked. We're here."

Lionheart nodded silently.

One by one, her three companions faded into being. Swiftpaw cast wild glances around, looking a little afraid and a little amazed. _What's there to be amazed about?_ Vixenpaw thought sourly. _This place looks worse than before_.

It was dark here. The trees that were still standing were thin as twigs, without a single leaf on their branches. A wet stench filled the air. There was no sound, aside from the wind blowing through the branches. Though there will still bushes, they seemed filled with thorns. The earth itself was wet and muddy. It was, quite frankly, disgusting.

"This is supposed to be paradise," Rabbitwing's eyes were wide as she stared at Lionheart. "This is worse than being alive."

Lionheart sighed. "As you can see, Vixenpaw, the state of things is not good. We need to act faster than I thought."

A blue she-cat padded from the same bush, eyes narrowed. She was joined by a skinny gray tom. "Have you sent him the sign, Lionheart?" she hissed, looking the four cats up and down.

"They need to leave, quickly," The gray tom fretted. "The Dark Forest made it in again. The border seems strong now, but there's no telling when it'll fail again."

"Go away, Gray Wing," the she-cat muttered. "This doesn't concern you."

"It does!" he spat. "The clans must be saved." Gray Wing padded towards them, his eyes fixing on Rabbitwing. "You were from WindClan. How was it there? Before Brokenstar?"

"Gray Wing," Lionheart frowned. "Please, this is no time for nostalgia."

"I have a point." He turned back to the she-cat. "Well?"

Rabbitwing shuffled her paws. "I miss it," she murmured. "Chasing hares. The Outlook Rock. The feeling of wind in my fur!" She glanced at Applefur. "I felt free in WindClan."

Gray Wing turned away, staring at Swiftpaw. "And ThunderClan?"

Swiftpaw frowned. "I didn't know it much before Tigerstar took over. But I remember playing with the elders, and not feeling hateful or afraid of my own clanmates. We're not a clan anymore," he growled. "We're no better than rogues."

"Yes!" Gray Wing nodded sharply. "No better than rogues. In my day, there were tyrannical rogues, who wanted those beneath them to fear them and starve. They kept the best prey for themselves and only morsels to their campmates. Tigerstar and Brokenstar are no better than those rogues. Do you not want to get rid of them?"

Vixenpaw nodded, as did Rabbitwing and Swiftpaw. _What about Applefur?_ Vixenpaw narrowed her eyes as she realized the she-cat was avoiding Gray Wing's gaze. The tom seemed to notice it, and he whirled around upon her. "You!" he growled. "What about you?"

"I don't care who's in power." Applefur stared at him levelly. "It doesn't effect me, as long as I'm loyal to Brokenstar."

"Then you're no better than them," Gray Wing hissed, and Applefur's eyes widened. "If they were driven out, or rebelled against, who would you side with?"

Applefur lowered her gaze. "That depends on who my clanmates fight for."

Gray Wing snorted. "Do you not care about how WindClan suffers? Or your own clanmates, for that matter?"

She flinched under his glare. "I..." she seemed uncertain.

"Brokenstar poisoned your clan," Gray Wing spat. "He is the reason kits have died at their clanmates' paws before they should train. He murders without remorse. Do you truly support that cat?"

Applefur looked away. "I guess not."

"Back off, Gray Wing," the she-cat finally snapped. "We're wasting moonlight like this." She stepped forward to stand beside Lionheart. "You must find the lost warriors."

"We don't know what that _means_ ," Rabbitwing said, exasperated.

"Those lost are not always dead," Lionheart spoke. "Fire burns on, but it cannot save the clans alone."

"What does that _mean_?" Rabbitwing demanded. "Stop dragging us in circles if you want us to save the clans!"

"Fire will be here soon," The she-cat nodded. "Fire alone cannot save the clans."

Applefur rose. "This is absurd."

Gray Wing glanced at his companions. "The next step will be shown to you on this night."

"Why even bring us here?" Vixenpaw asked Lionheart, beyond confused. "You're not telling us anything new."

"You needed to know who you could trust," Gray Wing replied. "And you must meet the fifth cat."

"There's _another_?" Swiftpaw frowned. "Please give us _anything_ that will help us."

Vixenpaw bristled as she realized the forest was fading. "This was useless!" She shouted, glaring at Lionheart. "What's the point of this?"

She awoke with a start, and sat up in the cavern.

"What the- who are you all?"

Each cat had woken up, and was now staring at the tunnel. A ginger tom was frozen there, looking confused. "I... Who are you?" he repeated, looking ready to bolt.

Vixenpaw blinked in surprise. This tom's scent was not one she recognized. She then nearly fliched as she saw his horrid scars.

His right eye had a nasty scar over the lid, and it was closed tightly shut. His right jaw was scarred as well, the end of his lips torn, one scraggly tooth poking out. Further down was a gaping scar from the right shoulder, running down through his chest, across part of his throat, and all the way towards his stomach. There were other smaller cuts along his pelt, but the worst was the right half of his face and chest. One green eye watched them cautiously, shining the the moonlight.

"Who are _you_?" Swiftpaw demanded, eyes narrowed. "You look like a rogue."

"Are you medicine cats?" The tom asked, ignoring his question. "Though... that doesn't make sense. It's past the half-moon, and the leaders don't let you go anymore. So, who are you?"

"Excuse me?" Rabbitwing bristled. "You show up here demanding who _we_ are?"

The ginger tom turned his gaze to her. "I'm sorry," he dipped his head. "I'm Red. I help clan cats."

Vixenpaw regarded him. "Are you the one stealing our cats?"

Red blinked. "Stealing? No. They want to get away. Don't you?"

Swiftpaw nodded. "I do, at least. But Tigerstar said if anymore cats left, he'd hunt every last one down."

Red rolled his eye. "Tigerstar doesn't know where we are. It's been nearly a moon since Brightpaw joined us. He won't miss a few more."

Vixenpaw scoffed. "Tigerstar is ruthless."

"I know." Red nodded. "He gave me these scars."

Applefur had been staring hard at him, and had not yet said a word. Finally, she exclaimed, "Wait! I know who you are!"

Red swallowed, backing up. "I should go." He turned and fled.

"Should we..." Swiftpaw looked puzzled.

"Go after him!" Applefur ordered. "I know who he is! He used to be ThunderClan!" she took off after the tom.

"Come on!" Rabbitwing dashed after her. "They said we needed him!"

Vixenpaw and Swiftpaw shared a bewildered look, then raced after the BrokenClan cats. _This is not what I expected, at all_.

* * *

Red raced through the Mothermouth, heart racing. _She could be a loyal_ , he thought, the echo of his pawsteps doing little to ease his racing heart. _They could all be loyals! I've been so careful, and it could all be ruined because StarClan told me to come tonight!_

Red panted as fresh air hit his nose, and he was free from the tunnel. _Where do I go? They'll see me if I cross the moor, and it might be dawn before I make it. I can't travel along the Thunderpath, I'll have to cross through ThunderClan. StarClan, why did you tell me to come here?_

His hesitation cost him.

The brown-and-white she-cat raced out of the tunnel and pounced, crashing into him with the speed of a hawk. Red screeched as she bowled him over. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her three companions run out, turning to come towards him. _This is the end,_ he thought. _I'm sorry, StarClan. I've failed you._


	12. Chapter 10 - Firepaw

**Sorry about the shortness and lateness of this chapter! This isn't my best work, but the next should be better. I will almost definitely not be updating this Sunday, because I have so much to do this weekend. Possibly I'll be able to update by Wednesday next week. After that, things will hopefully be back to normal. The chapter is a little odd, and has a bit of a flash-back.**

* * *

The brown-and-white she-cat that had knocked Red down was glaring down at him, hissing slightly. "Tell us who you are!" she growled, making a fierce face. "Who you _really_ are."

 _She won't really hurt me,_ Red thought, but frowned as her companions surrounded him. _But I don't exactly have a way to escape._

"I _remember_ you!" The mottled she-cat hissed, eyes narrowed. "You were just an apprentice, but I saw you a pawful of times."

The tom's gaze kept moving from Red to Applefur. "You said he was from ThunderClan, but I've never met him."

Red winced as the she-cat on top of him pressed a paw sharply into his gut. "Okay!" he exclaimed. "I'll talk to you. Just get off me."

The tom was staring at him again. "You said you were helping cats escape. Is that where Runningwind and Brightpaw went? And Speckletail and Snowkit?"

"They're alive and well," Red nodded. _Speckletail's temper is sharp as ever, though._

The she-cat huffed and stepped off of him. Red sat up. "First, though, I need to know who you are. I can't trust every clan cat."

The two older she-cats looked ready to argue, but the younger black she-cat cut them off. "No, that's fair. He wasn't expecting us. I'm Vixenpaw, TigerClan's medicine cat apprentice, and this is Swiftpaw."

Red's eye widened. "Swiftpaw! Brightpaw wouldn't stop talking about you the first few days she joined us. She was worried you weren't safe there."

"I'm Rabbitwing," his attacker said, fur flattening.

"Applefur." The mottled she-cat was still glaring.

"Okay." Red nodded. _I don't remember hearing any of them being loyal._ He glanced at Applefur. "You're right. I was from ThunderClan."

Swiftpaw frowned. "I don't remember you."

"My real name is Firepaw," He said, tail twitching. "Tigerstar tried to murder me in a battle against ShadowClan."

Then Vixenpaw's eyes widened. " _You're_ Firepaw? Graypelt and Sandcloud used to talk about you a lot."

Swiftpaw blinked. "Maybe I do remember you a little. I think I might've seen you when I was a small kit."

But Red was focused on Vixenpaw. "Graypaw- I mean, Graypelt! Is he okay? And Sandcloud?"

Vixenpaw nodded. "He has kits now. Featherkit and Stormkit."

Rabbitwing twitched her ears. "Okay, but everyone who knew you thought you were dead, right? And why did he try to kill you?"

Red frowned. "I still don't know why. I can tell you what I do know, and what happened after he attacked me."

* * *

 ** _Seasons ago..._**

 _"Sorry, Firepaw, but I can't allow you to get in the way of my plans." Tigerstar sneered down at Firepaw, claws sinking painfully into him._

 _"What plans?!" Firepaw demanded despite the pain. "Tell me!"_

 _"Why should I tell you? Instead you can die, just wondering."_

 _And then Tigerstar tore into him relentlessly. Any screams of pain quickly died out under the fierce attack, unnoticed among the other sounds of battle._

 _Firepaw was left terribly wounded, and passed out within moments of Tigerstar abandoning him to die._

* * *

 _She could feel his pain as she looked down at the young ravaged tom. "Oh, StarClan," Yellowfang muttered. "Firepaw should have never been in this battle."_

 _Yellowfang hissed at a crow that hopped too close, then lowered her head to touch his side in farewell. She paused just as her nose brushed his fur._

 _His flanks were rising just in the slightest._

Firepaw, _she thought, filled with relief. She dashed into the woods to fetch swathes of cobweb._ You saved my life. Now let me do the same for you.

* * *

 _After wounds were bandaged, and Firepaw had been moved to a secluded part of ShadowClan territory, he awoke three days later. The air was heavy with the scent of mud and mushrooms- likely to mask their own scent. He rested for another five, drifting in and out of consciousness while Yellowfang did her best to sedate him and the pain with poppy seeds._

 _On their ninth day, Yellowfang decided they needed to leave. It would not be long before someone found them on ShadowClan land._

 _Very slowly, they left ShadowClan. Firepaw had to lean on Yellowfang for help, what with the still-burning wounds and partial loss of sight. They rested Fourtrees for one more day, before moving on._

* * *

"...We met a couple of rogues," Red continued. In an odd way, it was nice to tell his story. _I've kept being a clan cat a secret for so long._ "And formed a small group. First it was just Magpie and his brother, Jackdaw. We spent some time hunting on the outskirts of ThunderClan territory. Then Mowgli joined us, and after that, Kio and his mate, Sawyer." Red sighed for a moment. "We took in the elders that Tigerstar and Brokenstar exiled, too, but only Patchpelt, Nightfur, and Graypool are left."

"And Runningwind and Brightpaw?" Swiftpaw prompted.

Red nodded. "Like I said, we've been helping cats get away. We'd like to get to ShadowClan and WindClan, but they're farther away and we don't have eyes inside their camps."

Vixenpaw's eyes narrowed. "You've been _spying_?"

"Well…" Red frowned. "Sort of. Magpie is good at climbing trees. Sometimes he listens in to ThunderClan meetings. But ShadowClan is certainly far away, and we don't know how many cats are loyal, which are in danger, which want to rebel…" He sighed. "I don't know what else I can do."

Rabbitwing seemed to be leaning forward, eyes gleaming with interest. _She might be helpful,_ Red thought. An idea struck him. _They_ all _can be useful. StarClan must have sent me here for them! I can use them to get others out!_ The brown-and-white she-cat finally spoke, and her question seemed to answer his prayers. "So what are you planning to do? And what are we supposed to do?"

Vixenpaw nodded. "StarClan didn't have us meet like this for personal enjoyment. This happened for a reason."

Red nodded, looking to the other two. Swiftpaw seemed like he was trying to keep a neutral expression, but he seemed deep in thought. Applefur, however… _She's harder to read than Mint._ She had a detached look, almost as though she were _contemplating_ his words, though was not particularly interested. _Or is she? What if she goes straight to Brokenstar about this?_

"Can we trust _her_?" He snapped, eyes narrowing at Applefur.

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Are you loyal to Brokenstar?" Red demanded, and Rabbitwing looked uncomfortable. While living with rogues- some like Snag, who were shifty- he had become adept at reading cats. Red had made it his _goal_ to understand emotions and unspoken thoughts, because not noticing Tigerstar's trick had nearly led to his death. "Are you planning on reporting this to him?"

Applefur's eyes narrowed in the slightest. "I am one of his warriors because I saved his life once," she said, a little carefully. "Life is easier working for him."

"She won't tell," Rabbitwing insisted, though she seemed a little doubtful. "Please, we can't keep wasting moonlight."

Red fixed Applefur with a hard stare. Finally, she nodded. "I won't talk."

The fiery ginger tom took a breath. "For one, since you are from _both_ clans, you can be the eyes I've been needing. Feed me information. Find cats who can escape." He felt a little relieved yet

nervous as Rabbitwing nodded along eagerly. _Can she go along with this, though?_

He paused for a moment.

"And then, we stage a rebellion."


	13. Chapter 11 - Opportunity Lost

**This is mostly filler to transition into bigger things, which we'll be getting into next chapter.**

* * *

Vixenpaw stretched in her nest, parting her jaws in a huge yawn. It was fairly warm already, and the sounds of birdsong filled her ears.

It _should_ be a pleasant day, but Vixenpaw was stilled swarmed with a whirlpool of emotions. It was four days since the odd meeting with StarClan, and when they ran into Red- or Firepaw. She was still filled with excitement but nervousness. _She_ would help to plot a rebellion against Tigerstar.

 _Being a medicine cat is finally worth something, after all._ Because Tigerstar _needed_ medicine cats, she was basically safe to do just about anything she wanted, so long as she didn't openly go yowling "We're overthrowing Tigerstar! All volunteers appreciated!"

 _Speaking of medicine cats..._ She cast a rueful glance at her new denmate- Primrosepaw. Vixenpaw still burned with outrage of how yesterday morning had gone.

 _She had planned this out perfectly._

 _"...And since Primrosekit actually wants this, I figure I can train as a warrior, and she can take my place as Mudfur's apprentice." Vixenpaw looked up at Tigerstar hopefully. She quickly added, "Of course, I can help Mudfur if he really needs help. But I_ _really want to be warrior."_

 _"Is that so?" Tigerstar looked from Primrosekit, who had the same eager look. "Hmm. I don't see why Mudfur can't handle two apprentices, what with you already nearly a full medicine cat."_

 _"What?!" Vixenpaw blurted. "No, I-"_

 _"It would be a waste of your skills," Tigerstar said smoothly. "And as you so aptly said, I do need medicine cats. Three would certainly be better than two, especially considering the current situation of things. In fact, I think I'll hold Primrosekit's ceremony today." He glanced at the younger she-cat. "You're four moons, aren't you?"_

 _"Nearly five!" She looked about ready to burst, but Vixenpaw wanted to claw Tigerstar here and now. "So I can be a medicine cat?"_

 _"Of course," Tigerstar purred. Vixenpaw nearly shuddered. Tigerstar never purred. "Just remember, no other leader before me would have ever let this happen. I'm making a special exception."_

 _"Oh, you're the best!" Primrosekit exclaimed. "I promise I won't let you down!"_

 _Vixenpaw glared at her leader. This was not how she envisioned this happening._

Vixenpaw let out a little growl. Primrosepaw was her only chance to become a warrior, and it had slipped through her claws like water.

 _Now I'm stuck training beside her._ Vixenpaw shook her head. _When Red fixes everything, I'll be a warrior._

She left the den, feeling hunger gnaw at her belly. As Vixenpaw padded towards the fresh-kill pile, she spotted Ashpaw fighting with Leafpaw. At first, she thought it was just a game, until she saw the look of fear in Leafpaw's eyes, and the ferocity of Ashpaw's attacks.

"Shredtail says _I'm_ going to be the best warrior in the clan!" Ashpaw snarled as he slammed his sister to the ground.

"Stop it!" Leafpaw cried. "I was just playing! You're hurting me!"

Vixenpaw's eyes narrowed. She raced towards the small apprentices. "Stop that!" she shouted, but Ashpaw either didn't notice or didn't care. He tore his claws down Leafpaw's side, and she shrieked in pain. _Why in StarClan's name is no one else doing anything?!_ There were only a handful of warriors in camp, but they were either ignoring the fight or watching with mild interest.

She reached the apprentices, snatched Ashpaw by the scruff, and hauled him off of his sister. "Hey!" he protested. Vixenpaw threw him roughly on the ground, a fox-length away from his sister.

"What on earth were you _doing_?" She demanded, bristling. "You could have seriously injured her! We don't have herbs to waste on whoever you feel like shredding!"

Ashpaw sat up, giving her an indignant look. "She stepped on my tail and said I was weak! I had to teach her a lesson."

Now _that_ sent a tiny shiver down Vixenpaw's spine. _Since when apprentices- who are practically kits- get in their heads that they need to shred their sister for reading?_ Vixenpaw shook her head slightly. "That's no excuse," she spat. "What are you supposed to be doing today?"

"Battle practice and patrolling," Ashpaw said, with a touch of pride. _What a snobby little kit._

"Well, you can forget about that." Vixenpaw glanced at Leafpaw. The she-cat was sitting up. She had a few scratches that were bleeding, but luckily none seemed bad. "Instead, you'll be taking care of the queens and kits."

Ashpaw wrinkled his nose. "No way! And you can't make me do anything. You're just an apprentice."

Vixenpaw took a step closer, scowling at him. She almost wanted to laugh as he shrank back a little. "Say that again, I dare you." She lashed her tail, adding a little growl to further intimidate him. "You'll be making new nests for every cat in camp. If you want to complain to Blackclaw, go right ahead. That won't change a thing. You do _not_ attack your clanmate, your _sister_ , no less, like that."

Ashpaw almost looked like he wanted to argue, but after a moment, lowered his gaze and slunk towards the nursery.

Something still felt off about the incident, but she couldn't quite place it. Vixenpaw turned around to inspect Leafpaw. The little apprentice was gaping up at her side wide eyes. "Wow," she whispered. "You sure can be scary."

Vixenpaw chuckled a little. "Your scratches aren't too bad, but go see Mudfur anyway. They'll turn sour if you leave them."

Leafpaw averted her gaze, ears flattening. "Shredtail said it's weak to need help."

Vixenpaw frowned. "Okay, well, do it anyway."

Leafpaw nodded, but still looked uncomfortable. "Okay."

As Leafpaw padded towards the medicine cats' den, Vixenpaw froze. It suddenly struck her what had been wrong.

 _Shredtail_. Both of them had mentioned someone named Shredtail. There was no TigerClan cat with that name... and why would a BrokenClanner be teaching TigerClan apprentices?

 _Who on earth is Shredtail?_

* * *

"This is marigold," Mudfur explained, pushing a dried flower towards Primrosepaw. "It's best for keeping wounds from getting infected. I want you to put this on Leafpaw's scratch."

Primrosepaw nodded. "I just chew it up, right?"

"Yes." Mudfur retrieved one more. "And then just lick it on."

Vixenpaw watched, ears flat, as Primrosepaw did as instructed. She was crouched in the corner of the den, just looking on.

As Primrosepaw applied the poultice to Leafpaw's flank, the scent of blood hit Vixenpaw's nose, and a moment later, Sedgecreek burst in, fur matted in places with blood. "We were ambushed by BrokenClan," she choked out. "Please help."

Mudfur whipped around towards his supply. "How many?" he demanded, already snatching herbs.

"I'm the best off," Sedgecreek panted, eyes wide. "Graypelt is okay, but he's still pretty beaten up. Fernpaw was with us, though..." She clenched her eyes. "She's barely breathing. Stonefur isn't much better than her. And they killed Brindleface." she shuddered. "It was awful. They dragged her into a bush..."

"That's enough," Mudfur said. "Vixenpaw, come with me."

Vixenpaw's heart raced as she thought of poor little Fernpaw. _She wasn't supposed to fight for another two moons._ Sedgecreek led them out of the den, to where her patrol was splayed out in the center of camp.

Tawnypaw was at Fernpaw's side, kneading on her flank and wailing. "She won't wake up!"

Graypelt was laying down, but had his head up. Silverstream lapped frantically at his wounds.

Stonefur was laying on his side, but Vixenpaw could see his sides rising.

"Take care of Graypelt," Mudfur ordered as he dropped a swath of cobwebs at her paws. "I'll handle Stonefur."

"What happened to you?" Vixenpaw asked the gray tom as she pressed the webs to a deep bite on his spine. She had learned that it was best to keep them talking, so as to keep them conscious and make sure there was no shock.

Graypelt took a shaky breath. "I don't... I don't exactly know. We were just marking the border by the Thunderpath, and these warriors came out of nowhere. It was like they just _appeared_ from the Thunderpath. But we should have seen them cross..." he shook his head while Vixenpaw applied the cobwebs to another scratch. "I think Clawface was there... and a she-cat named Fernshade. I'm not sure who the other three were." he winced when she touched a cut on his shoulder. "Clawface went for Fernpaw. He only had to hit her a couple of times... And then he and another tom dragged Brindleface away from us. They just kept _ripping_ into her."

Sedgecreek sat beside them. "We didn't even get to bring her body back. They chased us off."

"I just don't know," Graypelt sighed. "They seemed to turn around and go home after that. They didn't stick around to mark the territory, either."

"They wanted to hurt us," Stonefur rasped, startling Vixenpaw. "They don't need territory yet. They just want to weaken us."

Mudfur nodded. "Kill us off one by one."

Vixenpaw glanced at Fernpaw's body and swallowed. _They're willing to kill such a small apprentice and a kind warrior brutally. What else are they capable of?_

* * *

Sedgecreek and Graypelt were able to return to normal duties two days after, though Stonefur took four before he could limp out of the medicine cats' den.

Fernpaw's burial had been a quiet affair. With no known father, and her mother killed on the same day, all it was was Ashpaw and Leafpaw grieving for her. Ashpaw seemed especially upset- Vixenpaw wondered if he had been thinking about how badly he could have hurt Leafpaw, and how she could have ended up just like her sister.

Just the thought of the poor, murdered kit made Vixenpaw curl her claws into the earth as she padded through the forest with Primrosepaw. That was what Fernpaw was- just a young kit who had died tragically, because she couldn't defend herself.

"This is yarrow... right?" Primrosepaw asked, jarring Vixenpaw from her thoughts. The brown she-cat looked up at her hopefully.

"You should know it by now," Vixenpaw snapped. "I've only shown it to you seven times."

Primrosepaw ducked her head. "Sorry." She made no move to grab the herb she'd pointed out.

Vixenpaw snorted in contempt. "Yes, that's yarrow. Get it."

Primrosepaw glanced down at her paws for a long moment, then back up at Vixenpaw. "Why don't you like me anymore?"

Vixenpaw blinked. "What?"

Primrosepaw looked down again. "You used to be nice to me. You let me help after Silverstream kitted and you weren't short with me. You even said you'd talk to Tigerstar about making me a medicine cat apprentice when you're already Mudfur's apprentice! But ever since he did you've been angry." Vixenpaw flattened her ears, feeling guilty as Primrosepaw's face fell. "Am I a bad medicine cat already?"

 _Oh, no._ Vixenpaw took a step back. _I... I hadn't meant to take it out on her. That's not... that's not what I wanted._ She lowered her head a little as she thought about how she had done the same to Mudfur when she was upset about being his apprentice. _I'm always taking out my problems on everyone else!_ She stared guiltily at Primrosepaw, who looked shameful, as though _she_ had done something wrong. _And now I've actually hurt someone who did nothing to me._

"I'm sorry," she finally murmured. "I didn't... I didn't mean to be awful to you. I'm just upset and I took it out on you. I don't hate you, Primrosepaw, and I'm sure you'll be a great medicine cat." Vixenpaw sat down, looking away. "But I don't want to be one."

Primrosepaw blinked, surprised. "Why not?" she asked, gazing calmly up at her. "Mudfur is a great mentor."

"It's not my path," Vixenpaw said. "All I've wanted is to be a warrior. I almost never see my brother, Grasstail, because he's usually in R- the river camp. I'll never be able to have a mate." She frowned. "Though, I don't know that I _want_ one, but I don't get a choice!" She let out a growl. " _You_ got to choose. I was forced into a life I didn't want."

Primrosepaw was quiet for a moment, and Vixenpaw thought she was going to argue. "You probably don't get it yet, but-"

"I understand," Primrosepaw interrupted. "Everyone deserves a choice." She was surprised by the warmth and sympathy in the young apprentice's gaze. "It must hurt you a lot not to get to decide what you do, and to not see your family."

 _She... understands?_ Vixenpaw felt a sense of calm at her words. She had only admitted to Mudfur that she hated her position, and he had never been sympathetic or tried to fix things for her. He was kind, yes, but he didn't care that she hated being a medicine cat, and certainly didn't bother to understand her side of things. Her parents had been ecstatic that _their_ own daughter would be the clan's medicine cat. Beetlenose, her father, had puffed his chest out and would brag to everyone that _his_ kit was one of the most important in the clan.

But Primrosepaw listened. Even after Vixenpaw had been downright mean to her, she still tried to understand _why_.

"Primrosepaw," she finally murmured. "I think that you are very, very kind."

* * *

 **You might get an update on Sunday, depending on how busy I am this weekend. I'm probably not doing much for Halloween though, so there probably will be one. What are you guys doing for Halloween?**


	14. Chapter 12 - Magpie

_Swiftpaw's claws dug sharply into his_ adversary's back, snarling as he shoved the smaller tom's face into the mud. This was the seventh raid on TigerClan borders, and they were only getting more and more frequent.

He lashed out at the tom as he squirmed out of Swiftpaw's grip, tearing open his shoulder. The younger white tom shrieked as blood welled up along the raw scratches, scrabbling furiously away from Swiftpaw's claws. The tom- an apprentice, he guessed- took off for the Thunderpath.

He glanced around, quickly assessing the situation. Beetlenose was wrestling a slim she-cat to the ground, while Mosspaw and Shadepelt were slashing together at Clawface.

Swiftpaw then spotted a brown tom knocking little Tawnypaw to the ground. For a moment, he hesitated- then was filled with anger, both at himself and the warrior. _She's just a kit! What am I thinking?_ As he raced to her defense, he yowled. "Hey, dogface! Pick on someone your own size!"

Distracted, the brown tom turned his head just as Swiftpaw rammed into him, shoving him off the young apprentice and scoring a few small scratches across his shoulders. The tom growled sharply before regaining his balance, and lashing out to strike Swiftpaw across the ears. He felt a sharp, biting slice, and shook his head as blood started to run down towards his eyes.

The tom snarled and hit Swiftpaw across the side of his face, knocking him back a few steps. He still was just blinking back into clear sight when another vicious blow sent him reeling. _StarClan help me!_

Swiftpaw finally managed to recover as he heard a screech of surprise and pain from the tom. Tawnypaw had latched onto his thin tail with her teeth, and it looked like she was biting as hard as she could. As he whirled around, she leaped to the side, still biting fiercely into his tail.

 _Now's my chance!_ Eyes narrowing, Swiftpaw shot forward, pounced, and bowled the tom off his paws. As they tumbled, the tom kicked him sharply in the gut, and both cats had to scramble back, panting heavily.

"TigerClan, to me!"

Swiftpaw had never thought he would be so relieved to hear Leopardfur roaring those words. Still winded, he grinned as he saw Leopardfur, Grasstail, Sunfish, and Cinderpaw racing to their defense.

"Ratscar!" Clawface yowled, and the tom Swiftpaw had been fighting blinked and looked to his deputy. "Come on!" The BrokenClan deputy turned tail and fled, the same way the other apprentice had gone.

The brown tom took one glance at the rapidly approaching patrol, then growled at Swiftpaw. "I won't forget this."

He let out another howl of pain as Tawnypaw again bit into his tail. "That's your last mistake, kit!"

Before Swiftpaw realized what was happening, Ratscar snatched Tawnypaw up by her scruff, took to his paws, and raced away.

Swiftpaw stared after him, eyes wide, until he vanished from view.

"They took Tawnypaw!" Mosspaw cried, bristling. "What if they murder her?"

"Tigerstar is going to be very, very furious," Beetlenose said grimly. "And he won't stop until every last BrokenClanner is dead, now."

Swiftpaw clenched his jaw as the words sunk in. _Ratscar has just started the_ real _war,_ he thought. _Red might need to be acting much sooner than he hoped._

* * *

" _What?!_ " Tigerstar roared. "You watched him take her and did _nothing_?" He lashed out, clawing Beetlenose's ears. The warrior yelped and shrank back, shaking his head. "Get up, you weak fool!"

Swiftpaw couldn't help but feel a wave of sympathy. Apparently, even Tigerstar's loyals weren't safe from his abuse. _Maybe things aren't as black-and-white as I thought._

"Gather the warriors from the river camp," he snarled, glaring down at the cowering warrior. Mosspaw and Shadepelt were sitting silent as Swiftpaw, eyes wide. "Even the apprentices. Leave three cats behind. Tonight, we will launch a full-scale attack against BrokenClan." To himself, he growled, "Brokenstar has made his last mistake."

* * *

Swiftpaw had never seen his camp so full of cats. He knew their clan had many, being two clans combined, but with all of them packed in, tails lashing and eyes narrowed, he was a little awed. _How can one cat command all these cats?_ He gritted his teeth. _It's wrong. These are meant to be two different clans._ He stared for a moment at Leopardfur, who was sitting beneath the Highrock with Blackclaw. _She should be leading RiverClan, not Tigerstar._ Swiftpaw could tell that she did not agree with what Tigerstar did- she was always uncomfortable or flattened her ears when he issued punishments or new rules- so how did he get her to be loyal to him?

"Cats of TigerClan!" Tigerstar roared from the Highrock. "BrokenClan has been attacking our patrols along the border."

"We know this!" Sandcloud shouted. "Get over with it!"

Blackclaw stood, as though to go to her and teach her a lesson, but Tigerstar stopped him with a glare. "This time, they have made a fatal mistake- one of Brokenstar's warriors kidnapped my daughter, Tawnypaw."

Even those who disliked Tigerstar gasped. For one, despite her heritage, Tawnypaw was actually quite lovable- never rude, just a little curious, and always tried to be helpful. And not to mention, she _was_ only a kit.

Swiftpaw's ears flattened. _This is Tigerstar's own fault for making her an apprentice._

He clearly wasn't the only one who thought so. Whispers were exchanged below the breath across the clan.

"...Never would've happened when Bluestar was leader…"

"...Shouldn't have made such a small kit an apprentice…"

"...His own fault, you know…"

"...Do we really have to fight?"

He started at the last whisper he heard. Swiftpaw wasn't the only one who thought this was all wrong. _Someone else wants to go against him, too._

"Silence!" Blackclaw yowled. "Let your leader speak!"

Tigerstar lashed his tail. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying. Tonight, when the moon is high and the stars are bright, we will launch a full attack against BrokenClan. I want _everyone_ in this battle, save for two guards here and three in the river camp. We will teach them a lesson they'll _never_ forget." He paused, allowing his words to sink in. "Now, I want Leopardfur, Blackclaw, Voleclaw, Beetlenose, Longtail, and Shadepelt in my den. We will discuss our strategy, and by sun-down, we will announce it to you. Only one patrol should go out if necessary; I want my warriors well-rested for the battle. Feel free to eat or rest. You are dismissed."

For a moment, he wondered why he had chosen Shadepelt of all cats to join him in his den- until he realized that Tigerstar was speaking to his most loyal warriors.

Swiftpaw unsheathed his claws as he watched them go. _There's only six of them. Seven, including Tigerstar, who control all of us._ His gaze scanned the clan. There were mixed expressions- grim, excitement, fear, and outright horror.

 _I need to talk to Red. He needs to know we could_ easily _overpower Tigerstar and his loyal cats._ He watched as his own mentor, Longtail, padded into the lichen-covered den. _And some of them might not be all that hard to get some to turn on him. Even Leopardfur might change her stance if we give her a chance to lead her clan again._

Swiftpaw glanced at the sky. It was just past sunhigh. _Maybe I can find someone to pass the message along to him._ Red had told him there was a cat named Magpie who usually would scout the borders around Tallpines- _Wait! He said Magpie hid in the trees when big meetings happened!_

Swiftpaw sat back, and craned his neck up. He felt quite foolish for a long moment-

-until he saw a few branches move, and a small black-and-white move among them. Swiftpaw's jaw nearly dropped. Magpie was at the very tops of the trees, where the branches were dangerously thin. _How has he not broken the branches?_

There was only one thing to do.

Swiftpaw slipped away from the rest of the clan, heading just outside of camp. Checking to be sure no one had followed, he jumped up the nearest tree. It was a bit of a climb, but it was fine.

When he made up as far as he could safely go, he braced himself, and then leaped into a nearby tree. He had to repeat this multiple times before he just see a flash of Magpie's tail whipping over a branch a few trees away. Swiftpaw looked down and gulped. He was _very_ high up, but he could see all of the camp from here.

 _No one would know if a patrol were to just drop in from above- they would be so surprised._

Swiftpaw brought his attention back ahead of him as he heard leaves rustle. "Psst!" he hissed. "Hey! Over here!"

After a moment, a round face poked out from behind a cluster of leaves, at least twice the height of the Highrock above him, and three it's length away from him. "Hello. How'd you get up here?"

"I should ask you the same," Swiftpaw shot back. "How haven't you fallen?"

Magpie blinked. "Hold on. Who're you?"

"Swiftpaw," he tightened his grip, stomach lurching as a breeze shook his branch slightly. _I'm never climbing trees again after this._ "Are you Magpie? Red said I should look for you if I needed to pass something along."

"Oh!" Magpie grinned cheerfully. "Yes, he said something about you. So what's up?"

"Er-" Swiftpaw felt nauseous again as the branch lurched. "Can we get down farther?"

Magpie nodded. "Sure. Follow me." Swiftpaw watched in amazement as Magpie hopped down with ease, gracefully bounding from one branch to the next while hardly making a sound. "Down here." As he came upon a rather thick branch in his tree, he disappeared into a hollow. Swiftpaw followed- though in a much more shaky, anxious fashion.

He couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief as his paws were planted firmly in the woody hollow.

"This good?" Magpie asked.

As Swiftpaw nodded, he looked over Magpie for a moment. He had a very long tail and whiskers- _Perhaps that's how he balances so well?_ \- as well as smaller paws.

"My mum said I was half-squirrel," Magpie chuckled. "Now, you got news?"

"Oh, yeah." _Mouse-brain!_ Swiftpaw shimmied a little farther away from the opening of the hollow. "So, Tigerstar is planning an invasion of BrokenClan. With almost all his warriors, tonight. They kidnapped one of his kits, Tawnypaw."

Magpie nodded. "I caught a few words. Anything else?"

Swiftpaw blinked. He could tell Magpie wasn't all that interested in what he had to say. _He already knows that… what can I tell him that's helpful?_ "Oh! Tigerstar only has six thoroughly loyal cats to him. I figured that's important." Swiftpaw frowned. "Although there might be apprentices, too, but I'm not really sure. Six warriors, though, and at least one is only there out of fear."

Magpie's eyes widened in the slightest. "Oh? Well, that _is_ helpful. Do you have something in mind? I need all the information I can get to pass on to Red if you need him to do something. Are you hoping to sneak another one of your friends out?"

Swiftpaw was quiet for a moment. _Maybe I could get Mosspaw out. She's not happy, especially with the new warrior assessment. But… it isn't enough! There has to be something bigger. This is an opportunity. Think, Swiftpaw… There's only three warriors per camp, aside from ThunderClam because of medicine cats and queens… That's it!_

"I have an idea," he finally said, straightening. "But I don't know if it'll work."

"Fire away," Magpie shrugged.

"There's only three cats in RiverClan now," Swiftpaw started. "And every other cat in TigerClan will be fighting, except for our medicine cats and queens, who will be in this camp." Magpie started to nod, as though he understood where Swiftpaw was going with this. "If you're fast enough, and if Red has enough cats… we can pluck RiverClan right of Tigerstar's paws."

"Golly," Mapgie murmured. "That's a tall order."

"Please, try to get him to agree," Swiftpaw pleaded. "Tigerstar has promised a war on BrokenClan. My clanmates will die. And this, what he's doing… it's not right. There's four clans in this forest."

"I don't rightly understand all this clan business," Magpie said, slowly. "And I'm frankly not sure that Red will either. But he seems rather interested in you, so maybe he'll agree. You know what?" He twitched his tail. "Come with me. I'll take you to him."

"Really?" Swiftpaw blinked. "What if Tigerstar-"

"He's distracted," Magpie shrugged. "He won't notice one youngster missing, and certainly not if we travel through the trees." He rose and padded towards the opening of the hollow. "You with me?"

Swiftpaw swallowed. He thought of Mosspaw- _What if she gets horribly hurt? What if she dies?_ He frowned again. _Why am I so worried? She can take care of herself. She doesn't need my help to fight._ He looked back up at Magpie, who was waiting expectantly.

 _I have to do this. For Mosspaw, for Goldenflower, for everyone._

"I'm coming." He stood, eyes narrowed in determination.

 _I'm really doing this._

* * *

 **If you left a review (Lookin' at you, guest Mossberry), then it'll be addressed in the next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 13 - Escape

**Upon doing some further scavenging after awhile of going "Hm, the RiverClan portion of TigerClan is ridiculously small," I** _ **did**_ **find some other warriors that should've been included. Nothing major added, but Skyheart, Dawnbright, Whiteclaw, and Mallowtail should have also been in TigerClan. Also, this chapter is super long, so that's neat. This chapter is Vixenpaw/Swiftpaw again, but next time it'll either be Applefur or Rabbitwing or both.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Mossberry: It's all over the place because each clan is two combined? I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say. Also, not sure how I got Leopardfoot instead of Leopardfur because I copied almost all of my allegiances from the Wiki. Leopardfoot probably just stuck because that's what I had in the allegiances. She's supposed to Leopardfur/Leopardstar of RiverClan, not Tigerstar's mother. Also, Voleclaw is from RiverClan (Crookedstar's Promise), not Vole** _ **paw**_ **, who died in training during Yellowfang's Secret. Also not sure who you think Voleclaw mentored that was his kin (If you're talking about the same cat?). Mosspaw is a she-cat and he doesn't have younger brothers that I'm aware of. Also, about Leafpaw/Leafkit, Brindleface had three kits, but according to the Wiki, one died very young. I just decided to have her not be dead.**

 **Light Umbreon: Thanks! I'm not sure where that happened (Other than the beginning, maybe?), but I do most of my writing on my phone and I've had so many other stories with similar names and my phone has an AWFUL autocorrect and might've switched to some other name I've used in the past.**

 **Silver Shadows in the Night: Oh my god, you have NO idea how bad I want to make that happen after you said that. Too bad I already have Swiftpaw's love interest planned out. However, there** _ **will**_ **be a LGBT couple later on. At least two, in fact, but you won't be seeing the second until the next book. The first you'll probably be seeing in a chapter or two!**

 **Wildchild: Magpie is just sorta goofy and easygoing. You'll see more of that later on.**

* * *

Vixenpaw felt as though her paws were about to fall off as she wrapped yet another herb bundle in a dock leaf and stuck it with a thorn. She pushed it aside towards the growing pile. Mudfur was pulling out herbs and placing them in front of Vixenpaw while she bundled them. Primrosepaw was out gathering cobwebs, escorted by Cinderpaw.

"Go out and get some air," Mudfur finally sighed. "I'll finish these up. Eat something and let me know when Primrosepaw gets back.

Vixenpaw nodded wearily. She'd gotten up early to tend to a still-pesky scratch on Stonefur's shoulder, and she'd been working her whiskers off all day.

"Keep it up, Vixenpaw," her mentor called as she padded out. "Soon you'll get your full title."

Vixenpaw couldn't help but growl under her breath. _Great. The thing I've been dreading for the past eight moons._

Camp was quiet, with a few low, terse conversations here and there. There were either clusters of cats or pairs of friends or mates, whispering and sharing tongues.

 _This isn't the same as other battles,_ Vixenpaw thought. _This is a war._ The thought made her shudder in the slightest as she grabbed a scrawny shrew off the thinning pile. She drew away from the others, settling in a patch of sunlight to eat. _Lives are likely going to be lost tonight. They're afraid of who they won't see again._

Vixenpaw quietly watched her clanmates as she ate her shrew. Everyone was clearly anxious, and would glance consistently at Tigerstar's den.

She blinked as she saw Bramblepaw pounce on Dawnbright's tail. "Grr!" he growled in mock anger. "I'm going to _shred_ BrokenClan!"

Her sister, Mallowtail, shot him a glare. "This isn't a game. Your sister was captured and you're too young to fight."

Bramblepaw stuck his nose in the air. "I'm plenty big!" he protested. "Father will let me, I know it!"

Vixenpaw's tail twitched as she chewed on a particularly tough but of meat. _I'm sure being a leader's son hasn't gone to his head at all,_ she thought sarcastically. _He is right, though._ Bramblepaw _was_ quite stocky for being only about three moons old. He was already as big as Perchpaw, Primrosepaw's brother, and could be mistaken for a nearly six-moon old kit.

Mallowtail snorted, curling her tail around her paws. "Find someone else to bother."

Unlike Tawnypaw, Bramblepaw was not well-liked by many warriors. Occasional arrogance aside, he held an extremely similar appearance to his father. Most cats avoided snapping at him- but, then again, they seemed to avoid him altogether if they could. When he talked to others, they would converse with him, but not for long before they found an excuse to get away.

Bramblepaw's ears drooped. "Okay."

Vixenpaw felt a little bad for him, but kept that to herself. _He should still be in the nursery playing with denmates. Not preparing for war._

A few minutes went by as she slowly pulled the last bits of meat from her meal. Licking her lips, she nodded as Primrosepaw can back into camp, a stick swathed in cobwebs clenched tightly between her jaws. Cinderpaw had an equally large collection. The pair headed towards the medicine cat den, swerving around the clusters of cats in camp.

Vixenpaw twitched an ear before turning to groom her thick coat. _He doesn't need me to announce her return_ , she thought, nosing away a fragment of dried mint stuck to her lower back. _Mudfur can find me if he needs me._

"Want some help with that?"

Vixenpaw looked up to see her mother, Sunfish, smiling at her. "Your father is on patrol, and Grasspelt is boasting with his friends." Vixenpaw followed her gaze as Sunfish glanced over her shoulder. Grasspelt, Graypelt, and Dustfang were busy proclaiming how they were going to fight with the strength of badgers. "You didn't seem occupied, so I thought we could have some she-cat-time."

Vixenpaw wanted to roll her eyes and say that she was practically full-grown, but she saw the look of fear in her mother's eyes. Despite the smile, Vixenpaw could feel the waves of anxiety rolling from Sunfish. _Even she's shaken by this._ She nodded, giving her mother a small smile. "Okay."

Sunfish's smile grew with relief. "Great. Now let me get that tangle on your scruff."

Vixenpaw relaxed as she let the golden queen thoroughly groom her fur. She couldn't resist a low purr at the comforting feeling. It was almost easy to forget the coming battle tonight. _Almost._

"So," Sunfish started as she picked out other stray bits of herbs from Vixenpaw's pelt. "Any clan gossip? Goldenflower says that before- well, a while ago- that medicine cats were the best source of gossip next to elders."

 _I'm involved in some prophecy that not even StarClan seems to understand, one of the other cats in it is loyal to Brokenstar, I still hate being medicine cat, cats are going to end up dead tonight… where do you want me to begin?_ Instead, Vixenpaw just shook her head. "Nothing I know of."

"Hmm." Sunfish stopped grooming. Vixenpaw glanced back at her. She was staring at something across camp. Vixenpaw turned to see Swiftpaw, chest heaving, and staring intently at her. "Any special cats in your life?" Quickly, she added, "I mean, I don't think Tigerstar would care."

 _Does she think me and Swiftpaw…?_ Vixenpaw snorted. _As if! I hardly know him. Just one weird stare doesn't mean anything. Besides, he's got someone padding after him anyways._ Sunfish hadn't been wrong- being a little less involved with her clanmates let her notice things. _Like how Sedgecreek and Frogleap are smitten with Willowpelt, how Whiteclaw is always finding reasons to drag Skyheart onto patrols with him, how even though Petaldust pretends she hates Runningwind now, she can't help but murmur in her sleep about him… and Mosspaw's obvious crush on Swiftpaw._ The apprentice was always trying to jump in on patrols with him or go hunting, just the two of them.

"A mate is the last thing on my mind, mother." Vixenpaw blinked as Swiftpaw continued to stare and knead his paws impatiently. "Though Swiftpaw might need something."

"Well, you might as well go talk to him," Sunfish nudged her, a twinge of disappointment in her voice. "Go on, I think I'll exert my motherly right to embarrass Grasspelt."

Vixenpaw purred in amusement. "Make sure to lick his ears like a kit," she chuckled as she stood. "That'll be sure to get him embarrassed!"

She padded towards the black-and-white tom, who was looking extremely agitated. "What, do you have a thorn in your paw?" Vixenpaw asked, dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes," Swiftpaw hissed. "And I need you to take care of it-" He jerked his head towards the camp exit. "-out there. Right _now_."

Vixenpaw narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"I. Have. A. Thorn." With each word, he jerked his head in the direction of the thorn tunnel. "And I need to fix it _out there._ "

 _Is he trying to say that he wants to talk to me?_ Vixenpaw nearly rolled her eyes. _Spit it out, fish-brain!_ "Okay, fine. Let me escort you outside of camp so you can avoid the embarrassment of me ripping a deadly thorn from your paw."

Cinderpaw, padding by, snorted in amusement.

Swiftpaw flicked his tail and padded towards the thorn tunnel. Vixenpaw followed, almost growling in annoyance as her just-cleaned pelt stuck to the thorns. She hated going out through the tunnel; it always felt like the tunnel was reaching out to grab her with prickly claws.

When they were free of the tunnel, Swiftpaw turned to face her. "Do you want to live in RiverClan?"

"Wh-what?" Vixenpaw blinked, a little startled by the sudden question and his intense stare.

"Do you want to live in RiverClan?" He repeated, gaze boring into her.

"Of course?" Vixenpaw furrowed her brow. "I don't understand-"

"Then you need to be there tonight." Swiftpaw lowered his voice, eyes moving from side to side. "I saw Red again. Magpie led me to him. When Tigerstar leads the battle, he's going to take RiverClan right from under his nose."

"Won't Tigerstar just attack him?" _This is ridiculous! I want RiverClan back as much as the next cat, but this is a death wish._ Vixenpaw lashed her tail. "That's just mouse-brained."

Swiftpaw shook his head. "No, just think about it for a moment. Tigerstar wants a _full_ war with BrokenClan. In the middle of the night, no less. When they get back, he and all of TigerClan is going to be exhausted, injured, and likely will have suffered losses. Even if he _did_ try to attack, they'd be too weak to lead a proper battle." His gaze flickered back towards the ravine again. "Red's confident that at least a couple warriors will come to RiverClan, especially those he knew before."

 _That… that actually does make sense._ Vixenpaw twitched her ear. "That's… well, that's crazy enough to maybe work. What do you want me to do?"

"You're going to have to get to RiverClan. Make up some excuse and come here. _If_ you're confident you can get one or two of the cats here to leave with you, do it quietly." Swiftpaw kneaded his paws again. "RiverClan is going to need a medicine cat. They have Yellowfang- well, they call her Mint, now- but she's old. Not elder-old, but they're going to need someone."

 _This is my second chance,_ Vixenpaw realized, eyes widening. _I'll bring Primrosepaw. Yellowfang can teach her, and I can be a warrior. Red_ needs _cats who can fight._ "I'm bringing Primrosepaw," she replied quickly. "Is there anyone you had in mind?"

"Maybe Petaldust?" Swiftpaw suggested. "I don't know how you'll get her away from her nest, but Runningwind would be glad to see her."

Vixenpaw nodded. "Wait- how are you going to be sure you stay?"

Swiftpaw held out his paw, looking grim. "I want you to cut it open."

"What?" Vixenpaw stared at his paw. Swiftpaw was definitely out of his mind.

"I'll say I got a nasty thorn shoved up there," he explained. "You'll vouch for me. Just say I'll slow them down in the battle."

Vixenpaw set her jaw. It was odd, in a way, as she unsheathed her claws, but did not move. She wanted to be a warrior, but… hurting him like this just felt unsettling. "Okay." She looked back up at him. "I'll count to three." When he nodded, she began. "One… two…" Before she got to three, she suddenly stabbed at his soft paw pad and pierced it with a claw.

He hissed sharply in pain and surprise and stepped back, shaking his paw. "Fox-dung!" he swore. "You didn't even count to three!"

"Sorry," Vixenpaw apologized, frowning as he licked the blood from the paw. "That's what Mudfur taught me to do when we set bones or move a dislocated shoulder. You're more relaxed up until three." As she explained, she was hit with a sinking feeling. _Even when I'm hurting him, I'm using medicine cat techniques. Can I even manage to_ be _a warrior?_

"It fine," He lowered his paw to the ground, wincing. "StarClan, that stings."

* * *

The sun was setting in the horizon, casting a pink and orange glow across the darkening sky. The soft, white clouds were dappled with the sun's fading light. It was beautiful, to say the least, but no cat in TigerClan would admire it that evening. The sunset was like a toll of doom today.

"Cats of TigerClan!" Tigerstar yowled from the Highrock. "Gather to hear my words!"

Though everyone was out in the center of camp already, they came closer together to hear of Tigerstar's plan.

"Your clanmates and I have discussed in length this battle," the dark tabby began. "First, we will be utilizing our clan's signature move- the Lightning Strike."

Vixenpaw noticed that there was a ripple of discontent and confusion from RiverClan-born cats. She herself only knew of it because Grasspelt had explained it to her after he'd practiced it once in training. She too was a little bothered by the way he said it- that was a _ThunderClan_ strategy, not RiverClan.

"For those of you who do not know," he explained. "This will mean we will be attacking in three different patrols. Leopardfur's patrol will be the first, then Blackclaw's, then mine. Making this a success means attacking hard and fast, then retreating. After they settle from the first wave, Blackclaw's patrol will attack for slightly longer. When they retreat, my patrol will hit them. The Lightning Strike utilizes hitting hard but fast, and deceits the opponent into thinking we have more numbers than we do. When you attack, you must fight with the strength of tigers." Tigerstar's swept over the clan. "Are there any questions?"

Vixenpaw had to hand it to him, it _was_ a clever plan. Especially if the attacks were quick- and considering that it would be night- it would be hard to tell who was who and how many there would be.

"Blackclaw, call your patrol forward, please."

The smoky tom stood. "My cats will be Sunfish, Longtail, Voleclaw, Mallowtail, Goldenflower, Brackenpaw, and Cinderpaw."

As his called patrol stepped aside to group up, Leopardfoot stepped forward. "I will be taking Stonefur, Shadepelt, Graypelt, Dustfang, Frogleap, Leafpaw, and Ashpaw."

 _Tigerstar lied,_ Vixenpaw thought, curling her claws into the dirt. _He said they wouldn't fight until they were ready!_ She watched as the small apprentices bounded towards their deputy.

Tigerstar jumped down from the Highrock. "Which means I will have Sandcloud, Whiteclaw, Beetlenose, Thornpaw, Swiftpaw, and Mosspaw."

Vixenpaw didn't react until Swiftpaw nudged her sharply. Blinking, she stood. "Wait! Swiftpaw can't go. His paw got stuck by a thorn and he'll be useless in the battle."

"Hmm." Tigerstar looked down at the apprentice. "Fine. You and Dawnbright will be left to guard this camp. Help Vixenpaw and Mudfur with anything they need, since you're wasting their time being clumsy."

Swiftpaw flattened his ears, pretending to be embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I will."

Tigerstar nodded. "Good. If there is no other concern, we will depart immediately."

As Tigerstar left, murmurs of farewell and well wishes were passed between clanmates. The departure was a little slow, but once the last cat had passed through the thorn tunnel, the just-cramped camp was now eerily empty.

Reedkit and Pikekit emerged from the nursery, followed by Mistyfoot. "Why's everyone gone?" Reedkit asked, blinking in surprise. "Tigerstar sounded angry. Why's he angry."

Pikekit twitched his tail. "Primrosepaw told me Tawnypaw got stolen."

Rushkit peered out from behind his mother. "Ashpaw said she ran away!"

Mistyfoot sighed, clearly tired. "Ashpaw is making up stories, Rushkit."

Petaldust and Silverstream soon followed, Silverstream followed by her tiny kits. Mudfur and Primrosepaw both came from the medicine cats' den.

Petaldust was heavy with her kits, and padded very slowly. Ever since Runningwind left TigerClan, she had stopped taking care of herself. Either one of the other queens or Vixenpaw would have to fetch her prey and coax her into eating it, and she rarely groomed. Her once-pretty pelt was now dirty, messy, and greasy.

"Petaldust!" Vixenpaw called, recalling Swiftpaw's advice. "Come here."

The tortoiseshell blinked and turned towards her. "Huh?"

"I'm going to take you on a walk," Vixenpaw padded towards the queen, smiling gently. "It'll do your kits good."

"Oh," Petaldust murmured. "Alright."

"Swiftpaw can come with us," Vixenpaw glanced at him, and he nodded. "Is that alright?"

"I guess," Petaldust sighed, sounding very much like she hardly cared.

 _Hopefully the prospect of seeing Runningwind will brighten her spirits,_ Vixenpaw thought hopefully. _She's been feeling awful._ "Oh, and I'll grab Primrosepaw, too. That way we can collect herbs. Do you want to help?"

Petaldust blinked, gaze brightening a little. "Oh. You want me to help?"

Vixenpaw smiled and nodded. _Maybe what she needs is something to do._ "Primrosepaw!" she called, and the young apprentice blinked. "Mudfur, I'm taking Petaldust on a walk. I'm going to bring Primrosepaw and Swiftpaw to help collect herbs." Voice lowering a little, she added, "StarClan knows we'll need them."

"You're right," Mudfur sighed. "With both ideas. Just make sure Swiftpaw takes it easy on that paw."

"See you later!" Reedkit purred, tail raising in the air.

 _Someday, maybe, on happy terms,_ Vixenpaw thought. _But I won't be seeing you for awhile._ "Yes," she lied, feeling a twinge of remorse. "See you soon."

It was a surprisingly bittersweet to leave TigerClan's main camp. Vixenpaw cast a long glance over her shoulder. _I didn't think I could miss it,_ she thought. _But I will._ _The queens, the lively birdsong, the wildflowers… Maybe under different circumstances, I could've loved it here._

Petaldust twitched her whiskers as she looked about the forest. "I don't like it here," she admitted in a whisper. "Can we see the river? I haven't been there since I moved to the nursery."

 _Perfect!_ Vixenpaw had been wondering how she would lead Petaldust straight to RiverClan without suspicion, but it sounded like that was exactly what she wanted.

Primrosepaw bounced on her paws. "Oooh, yes! Mudfur said there's loads of herbs there. Do you have anything in mind that we need?"

"Anything you can get your paws on," Vixenpaw told her. "And as much of it as possible. I can help you once we get there."

As they slowly headed towards Sunningrocks, the sun finished its slow descent into the sky. The golden hues slowly dissipated, leaving behind a rapidly darkening sky. Frogs began to croak and crickets chirped from the undergrowth.

"Do you think they're fighting now?" Primrosepaw whispered.

"Definitely." Swiftpaw nodded grimly.

Petaldust twitched her tail as they stepped onto Sunningrocks. "I didn't know how much I missed it here until I saw it again," she murmured. "I just wish…" She quickly snapped her jaws shut and flattened her ears as she thought about what she was going to say.

"What?" Swiftpaw urged her. "That you could live in _RiverClan_ again?"

Petaldust stared at her paws. "You won't… you won't say anything to Tigerstar, will you?"

"That's the last thing on my mind," Vixenpaw promised.

The queen glanced across the river, then after a moment, she sighed and nodded. "Yes. I do. TigerClan isn't all bad," she added. "But Tigerstar murdered my leader, Crookedstar. Well, he was more than a leader. He was our friend. I don't know how Beetlenose could turn his back on that. Voleclaw, too."

"You should get herbs," Swiftpaw nudged Vixenpaw, eyeing Primrosepaw, who was beginning to look shocked and perplexed. "I'll talk to Petaldust."

Vixenpaw nodded. "Come on, Primrosepaw."

"What's going on?" The younger apprentice hissed as they drew out of earshot. "You're not supposed to talk about old clans!"

"We're taking RiverClan back tonight," Vixenpaw told her. "I want you to be there. You won't be safe in TigerClan, and RiverClan will need a medicine cat."

Primrosepaw snorted. "Seriously? You and Swiftpaw are going to take over RiverClan?"

"No, I…" Vixenpaw hesitated. _How much can I tell her?_ "There's others. Others who are going to help us fix things."

"Fix _what_?" Primrosepaw demanded. "Everything I know is in the forest! What's wrong with how things are?"

"Everything," Vixenpaw said. "There's supposed to be four clans in the forest. Not two clans forced together by two tyrants who take pleasure in killing." _I need her,_ she thought. _Not just because I want to be a warrior. She's… well, she's the only friend I've really got._ "Please, Primrosepaw. We need you. I- Well, _I_ need you."

Primrosepaw looked surprised, then stared at her paws as though she were embarrassed.

Vixenpaw was a little confused by her embarrassment, but she pushed it away with a thought. _What's she got to be embarrassed about?_ "Will you come with us?"

"What about Mistyfoot?" Primrosepaw asked. "And Reedkit, Perchkit, and Rushkit? I mean… I know they don't like me as much anymore because I became an apprentice first… But I still care about them."

 _I can't promise her anything,_ Vixenpw thought, heart twisting as she saw Primrosepaw's look of sadness as she talked about her brothers. _And I can't lie, either. No more lies._ "I don't know," she said, honestly. "We can try to get them at some point, but if we disappear with all the cats in camp, Tigerstar will be more than outraged." She sighed. "Red- our ally- is confident some cats will flee TigerClan for here. Maybe we'll be able to get them here."

Primrosepaw blinked, narrowing her eyes slightly as she glanced back at Petaldust and Swiftpaw. Vixenpaw looked back. Petaldust was staring at him with wide eyes, jaws slightly parted. _He must have just told her about Runningwind._

"Is Red the cat helping our clanmates escape?" Primrosepaw asked, looking back at Vixenpaw.

The black she-cat nodded. "Yes."

Primrosepaw was silent for a long moment before she spoke. "...Okay. I'll come." Before Vixenpaw could say anything, the she-cat looked back up at her. "But I'm not happy about it. Not about how you lied to me, either."

"I'm sorry," Vixenpaw sighed. She meant it. "I didn't really want to lie, but-"

"-But you weren't sure you could trust me. I get it." Primrosepaw cut in.

Vixenpaw was a little thrown off by Primrosepaw's attitude. Her brothers still played around like three-moon-old kits, but she was speaking to her with a tone of a matured adult. _She's had to grow up fast,_ Vixenpaw thought, frowning. _She's already more mature than half the apprentices, and she's been in training for only nearly half a moon._

"I'll try to make it up to you," Vixenpaw murmured. "Again, I'm sorry."

Primrosepaw twitched her tail, and she seemed to relax slightly. "We shouldn't waste time, then. Are you trying to bring Petaldust, too?"

Vixenpaw nodded. "We should see how Swiftpaw got along with her."

They returned to the other pair. Petaldust turned to them, eyes blazing with such emotion that Vixenpaw hadn't seen from her since Runningwind vanished. "I'm going with you!" she declared. "I'm going to give that rotten fox-hearted fishbrain a piece of my mind!"

Vixenpaw purred a little. Now _that_ was the Petaldust they all knew. Despite her angry words, Vixenpaw could see the excitement and relief in her eyes. _She's angry, but she's happy he's okay. I wonder if I'll ever feel that way about someone. Able to forgive them for doing wrong and still loving them._ She shook her head a little. _What am I thinking? I'm not even interested in anyone!_

"Well, we should be going," Swiftpaw said quickly. "We can't waste any more moonlight, and we'll still have to convince the guards in RiverClan." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Red said he wants to be there, though. Maybe he thinks he can convince them better than we could."

Petaldust wrinkled her nose. "How's some rogue going to turn clan cats?"

Swiftpaw and Vixenpaw shared a glance. "You'll see," the black she-cat answered for them.

They made their way across the stepping-stones in the river, both apprentices filled with relief that they'd managed to convince Primrosepaw and Petaldust to come with them. Vixenpaw felt a rush of excitement as her paws touched the soft earth of the riverbank. _Everything will be alright again. RiverClan is going to be back-_ I'm _going to be in RiverClan! No Tigerstar forcing me to stay away. I can be a warrior._ She took a deep breath and glanced up at the sky, letting it out in a heavy sigh. _Everything is going to be better now._

A whisper startled Vixenpaw. "Swiftpaw? Is that you?" She blinked as Red emerged from the reeds. "Oh, Vixenpaw, too. Good."

Primrosepaw stared at his scars. "Great StarClan!" she exclaimed. "I don't know what did that you, but you're lucky to survive."

A sharper voice interrupted before Red could speak. "Luck had nothing to do with it, youngster." A ragged gray she-cat followed from the reedbed. She had a nearly flat face, with a slightly upturned nose. "I saved him."

Red rolled his eye. "Oh, you love bragging to everyone about it."

The she-cat glared at him. "I do not _brag_."

"Anyway," Swiftpaw interrupted. "Where is everyone?"

"Not far," Red replied. "I didn't want to bring them all so close."

"Well, you should probably get them." Swiftpaw twitched his tail. "We're ready."

"Who's guarding camp?" Red asked.

Vixenpaw glanced at Swiftpaw. He looked equally unsure. "Er… I didn't notice," she finally mumbled.

Primrosepaw stepped closer. "Willowpelt, Sedgecreek, and Skyheart. They're not close to Tigerstar."

"Skyheart despises him," Petaldust added. She craned her neck, as though trying to see behind the pair. "Can- Can I see Runningwind?"

Red nodded. "First, we talk to them. Then you'll see him again." He glanced at the she-cat. "Will you get them ready?"

The gray she-cat nodded, making a point to flick him with her tail before she turned and padded back into the reeds.

"Shall we go?" Red asked, padding forward to join them. "We don't know how long we'll have before they get back."

Swiftpaw nodded. "Might as well."

Red sighed, staring towards RiverClan's camp. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

 _Earlier that day…_

Swiftpaw clawed his way up to the top of the fence, watched by Magpie, who was twitching his whiskers in amusement. "C'mon, Swifty."

He growled in frustration as he finally reached the top. "How many more of these do we have to get over?" They'd already climbed two upon entering the twolegplace.

"There's only one more, but there's a hole we can push through. C'mon." Magpie hopped neatly down onto the grass of the other side.

They continued on, Swiftpaw's hackles raised in the slightest and eyes and ears searching for any threat- which there were plenty of here. Magpie walked confidently, like there was nothing to fear here. _This must be what Mosspaw feels like in ThunderClan,_ Swiftpaw thought as they crossed a small Thunderpath, much too slow for his liking. _Everything is just wrong here for me._

Finally, there was a square of dry grass, left alone. Behind it, there was another fence- but this was made of some sort of shiny, thin vines. It looked like a recipe for twisted paws if you tried to climb it.

"Over here," Magpie called. Swiftpaw followed him towards the fence, and he found that there was indeed a corner, by one of the posts in the fence, that had separated from its pole. Magpie pushed against it, and it gave way. The tom passed through easily, then turned to Swiftpaw. "Now you."

Swiftpaw eyed it suspiciously before he pushed against it. It felt cold and scratchy on his back, but not in the nice tree-bark rub feel. It felt like dull but still prickly claws running along his spine. He tried to step back, and yowled in pain. The fence was now rigid, digging into his back. By instinct, he tried to push back, only to be met with the jagged vines jabbing into his back. His fur and skin bunched up around the fence as he struggled to pull himself free.

"Oh, no, don't do that!" Magpie exclaimed. "Stay still, don't move." Swiftpaw forced himself to be still as possible, hissing quietly between clenched teeth in pain. Magpie hurried towards him, then took the loose bit of the fence and pulled it in his jaws towards him. Swiftpaw felt a rush of relief as the painful vines were lifted from him, and he shot out of the fence, onto Magpie's side. "There you go," the tom purred. "Looks like you didn't get hurt, just a couple clumps of missing fur."

"Thanks," Swiftpaw panted. "What now?"

"We go across," Magpie said, nodding ahead of them.

There was a slight dip in the ground, like a very small ditch, but it stretched on to Swiftpaw's left and right as far as he could see. Magpie led him a bit closer. Upon closer inspection, he could see long beams of that same cold vine, laid straight out along the ditch on both sides. Smaller vines crossed over the middle of both. These, however, were much thicker than the vines of the fence. "What are those for?" Swiftpaw wondered out loud.

There was a ringing sound in the distance as Magpie replied. "You'll see."

Swiftpaw's heart lurches as he felt the ground tremble beneath them. "Wh-what's happening?"

Magpie, as always, seemed unaffected, and kept on smiling. "Just wait."

From his left, Swiftpaw saw a monster approaching through the ditch- but this wasn't any monster. It was _huge_ and impossibly long. It roared as it raced closer. Swiftpaw had heard the odd calls of monsters before, but they were more like odd, loud geese honks. This was a roar that made him shrink back in fear. The giant monster shot by, and Swiftpaw was awed by how long it was. It felt like an eternity before its rear finally passed them, and it continued on the long ditch as though it hadn't seen the pair. "Wh…" Swiftpaw couldn't finish the question. He was still staring after the monster, ears pressed back against his skull.

"That's the train," Magpie said cheerfully. "Comes a few times a day. You get used to it. There's a platform a bit ahead. Lots of twolegs, but they leave scraps behind that attract loads of mice." He padded forward into the ditch. "Come on, there won't be another for awhile."

Swiftpaw followed shakily. _How could anyone be so calm by that_ thing _?_ They crossed the ditch, Swiftpaw careful to step over each smooth beam.

"We're here!" Magpie purred.

Swiftpaw frowned. There was a long row of bushes and shrubs, and a single tree behind them, but no cats. "Are you sure? There's nothing here."

"Through the bushes," Magpie said, padding forward. He led Swiftpaw through the bush, ducking his head to crawl under it.

 _There_ are _cats here!_ Swiftpaw realized as they passed through. The oily, burning scent left behind the train masked any trace of cats, but as they passed through he could smell fresh scents.

When they came out on the other side, they were in a small clearing. The line of bushes created a barrier from the train tracks, and just ten fox-lengths away was another shiny-vine fence. The single, thin tree stood to his left, closer to the fence. Swiftpaw blinked as he saw three old cats huddled together, murmuring quietly. They blinked as he padding into the clearing. "Hello, Magpie," a thin black tom rasped. Upon closer inspection, he didn't seem as elderly as the other pair, just frail. "Who's this?"

"Patchpelt!" Swiftpaw exclaimed, eyes widening as he recognized the ThunderClan tom. "It's me, Swiftpaw!"

The small elder raised his head, smiling. "Ah, so it is. Have you come to join us too? Brightpaw will happy to have you here."

Swiftpaw shook his head. "Sorry. I'm here to see Red."

Patchpelt frowned. "Why not stay here? You're safe here."

Swiftpaw twitched his ears, glancing at Magpie. "I'm trying to get his help to take RiverClan back while we still have a chance."

The third cat, who seemed to be the most elderly and frail of the lot, raised her head. "What's that? RiverClan?"

"He wants to take it back," the black tom murmured in her ear.

The she-cat pushed herself up into a sitting position. "I'd hoped to see it back in its former glory before I went to StarClan," she rasped. "Good luck."

Swiftpaw dipped his head to her gratefully before glancing at Magpie. "Where's everyone else?" he whispered.

"Around, somewhere," He commented, not sounding too concerned. "Everyone's usually out at this hour, save for them."

However, a new, familiar voice, sounded from behind them. "Swiftpaw?"

The tom turned around to see Red, Brightpaw, and Snowkit- _Snowkit! I hardly remembered he was gone too-_ standing behind them.

He watched as Brightpaw flicked her tail twice, staring at Snowkit as she did so. The white tom nodded silently, as though there was unspoken communication between them. _How did they work that out?_

Red's eyes met his. "You're not here to leave TigerClan, are you?" The way he said it made it sound like an observation rather than a question.

Swiftpaw shook his head. "I need to talk to you."

Red nodded. "I figured as much. Come with me." He glanced at Brightpaw, who was staring at Swiftpaw with wide eyes. "You two can catch up later."


	16. Chapter 14 - War

**Sorry about missing my usual update times! For some reason this chapter was really difficult to write.**

 **Though I was planning to have this be between 25-30 chapters, this story is winding down close to the end. I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be, but it won't be more than five, excluding the epilogue. _But_ , once this one is over I'll be starting the second book, which I have a much more solid plot figured out for! **

**P.S.: If you haven't yet, please check out my newest story, Blazing! The updates for it will be a lot more frequent because it's really easy to write.**

 **Reviews:**

 **WildChild13: Haha, I certainly haven't thought that far. I'm not sure whether or not I'll go past the original series, but we'll just have to see if I keep having plot ideas! All I'm currently planning on is three books for certain, potentially more.**

 **Silver Shadows: You'll just have to wait and see!**

 **Starlight's Silver Dance: Thanks so much! Haha, sorry about that, I actually have clue how that even happened.**

* * *

Applefur had the misfortune of being on sentry duty that night.

To elaborate, she had the misfortune of being the first to be jolted out of a half-asleep daze by TigerClan warriors with claws at her throat.

She had hardly known what was happening- there had been a shuffling in the ferns that she dismissed as a wayward lizard- and then something had slammed into her, knocking her off her paws and pinning her to the ground. Applefur had been about to yowl an alarm when the tom pinning her snarled in her face, "Stay quiet, or I'll gut you like a fish." She recognized him as Blackclaw, one of Tigerstar's deputies. Applefur swallowed back her cry as she watched a surprisingly small patrol of TigerClan warriors file into her camp. _Why aren't there more? It looks like two hunting patrols at the most._

She fixed her gaze back on the smoky tom above her. He sneered at her, applying more pressure to her throat. "Cooperate with me, and I'll _consider_ letting you live." Applefur narrowed her eyes as he seemed to be struck with an idea. "What do you say about me sparing your life and you joining Tigerstar? I'm sure you'll be able to adjust just fine."

A few moons ago, Applefur honestly would have probably taken Blackclaw's offer. Her survival alone was still her top priority, but…

She thought of how things had changed since she joined the higher ranks of the clan. Applefur had friends- well, not quite _friends_ , but close enough to the concept- and she enjoyed life more than she had when it had just been her.

"Choose wisely," Blackclaw growled. "Pick wrong, and I can kill you here and now."

Applefur stared up at him silently.

And then, screeches erupted from the warrior's den.

"Intruders!"

"Ratscar, help!"

"Fox-dung, get _off_ of me!"

"Take that, snake-heart!"

"StarClan's sake, Flintfang- that was me!"

Applefur could easily tell that despite the small patrol, it was chaotic in the den. She could picture it- warriors jarred awake in the dark, stumbling around and getting stepped on and clawed. They were probably hurting each other more than the attackers.

 _And it's my fault for not being alert._ Applefur surprised herself with the thought. She never thought she'd care that much about her clanmates.

"How's this for an answer?" She asked, before kicking him sharply in the gut with both hind legs.

Blackclaw wheezed as he crumpled to the ground, very winded. _Toms,_ she thought snidely as she leaped to her paws. _Act so tough until they get a little bruise._ Applefur struck quickly, slashing at his exposed belly with thorn-sharp claws. As he caught his breath, he tried to roll over to rise, and she hit him across the face, claws tearing across his eyelid. Blackclaw shrieked in pain. Applefur reared up on her hind paws, and as his eyes widened, she surged downwards, pinning him down and digging her claws into his chest.

"Retreat!" Blackclaw yowled. " _Retreat!_ "

It had been lucky for him, too, because the den for Brokenstar's chosen warriors was just emptying as the warriors raced out to defend their clanmates.

Applefur let him go. Blackclaw finally rose to his paws, giving her a deadly glare. "Watch your back, crow-food eater," he spat. The smoky tom turned tail and fled. His few warriors pelted past her. Applefur frowned as she noticed the smirks that a couple wore. _Why are they smiling?_ she wondered. _We just chased them off._

She shook her head. That was hardly important. _Why did they even- oh._ Applefur furrowed her brow as she realized they must have attacked because Ratscar captured that TigerClan apprentice. _Too bad for those fox-hearts. She's not even here!_

Brokenstar had sent her to the moorland camp, knowing that if Tigerstar retaliated it would be against the main camp. _Load of lizard-brains, the lot of them._

Other BrokenClan warriors were padding from the den, eyes wide. "What in StarClan's name…?" Tornear wondered aloud. "That was odd."

"Was anyone hurt?" Sorrelcloud appeared from the nursery, sighing in relief as Stumpytail hurried to her side.

"Don't think so," Wrenflight frowned. "Not badly, at least."

Applefur joined the group of Brokenstar's chosen warriors. "Why was their group so small?" she hissed to Cinderfur. "Do you think they're too weak to fight us right now, or something?"

Cinderfur shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe a lot of them are si-" he stopped as his eyes widened. "Wait, they're back!"

All the warriors who had woken up yowled in surprise as a second TigerClan patrol raced into camp, hissing and spitting. _What is this!?_

 _I'm going to claw Ratscar's ears after this,_ Applefur thought, bracing herself to fight again. _That lizard-brain just brought this on us._

* * *

Rabbitwing sighed, then parted her jaws in a wide yawn as a strong breeze ruffled her pelt. She'd been up all night guarding this prisoner, but at least she was back in WindClan.

She glanced into the small rabbit set the TigerClan she-cat had been pushed into by Clawface. The tiny ginger she-cat had finally passed out, after hours of staring at Rabbitwing with wide, petrified eyes and asking again and again when she could see her mother. She'd thought the she-cat was a kit- she certainly looked like it- until the she-cat had begrudgingly mumbled that her name was Tawnypaw.

 _Poor kit,_ Rabbitwing thought, frowning. _She can't be more than four moons old, if that. I thought Tigerstar decided not to train his cats until six moons… but I guess he changed his mind._

Rabbitwing settled down to lay on the ground, paws tucked neatly under herself. However, she forced herself to stay awake- no amount of Brokenstar's repulsive staring was going to stop Blackfoot from ripping out her whiskers if she let the kit escape. With another glance at Tawnypaw, she thought, _Not that she would, I bet. She'd never find her way across the moor alone._ Rabbitwing sighed again. _Then again, that might be better than whatever Brokenstar has in store for her._ Her leader was sure to want to interrogate his prisoner, kit or not.

Rabbitwing narrowed her eyes to slits as she settled herself comfortably. _Well, at least I'm home._ She wouldn't have to deal with Brokenstar or Blackfoot or snobby ShadowClan cats-

Speaking of snobby ShadowClan cats, she sat up in surprise as an alarm yowl sounded throughout camp. "Main camp under attack!" she recognized Rowanberry's cry before she saw the she-cat stumble into camp. "We need reinforcements, now!"

A few warriors slowly awoke, but many, especially the WindClan-born cats, remained sleeping. Before they became BrokenClan, loud winds often roared throughout the night, making WindClanners heavy sleepers. "Whatsat?" Flywhisker mumbled, blinking slowly.

"We're under attack, for StarClan's sake!" Rowanberry shouted, jarring a few more cats from their sleep. "Wake _up!_ "

Clawface and a few other cats began kicking those who were still laying down awake. "We need to hurry!" Clawface spat. "Get up, you lazy bonebags!"

A tired mumble from the rabbit burrow startled Rabbitwing, who had been trained in on the commotion. "What's going on?"

Rabbitwing turned around to see Tawnypaw blinking up at her. "Our main camp is under attack," she explained.

Tawnypay blinked and sat up, as much as she could. "Is it… is it TigerClan?" there was a spark of hope in her mewl, and Rabbitwing couldn't help but feel another pang of sympathy. _She's far too young to be a prisoner of war. Something like this could scar her for moons._

"I would assume so," she told her, before turning away again.

"Flywhisker, Whitepaw, Gorsepaw, Morningflower, and Rabbitwing will stay here," Clawface ordered quickly. "The rest of you, we're going to the main camp immediately!" He glanced at Rowanberry, his fierce gaze wavering for a moment. "You should rest here, too."

Rabbitwing recalled that they had once been mates. Sorrelleap told her they'd broken it off, but that it often seemed like Clawface still loved her. _Strange how such a horrible cat can love someone._

Rowanberry looked like she was about to protest, but then sighed and nodded tiredly.

Quickly, Clawface gathered up his warriors, and they took off as fast as they could.

 _StarClan go with them,_ Rabbitwing thought. No, she didn't like ShadowClan, but her own clanmates lived there. _Sorrelleap included._ The young queen would be having her kits soon. Rabbitwing felt a pang of regret. They had never made up after she had snapped at her about her kits. _Please, StarClan, let Sorrelleap be okay._

* * *

Applefur raked her claws down TigerClan tom's face, spitting as he recoiled, screeching. Battle was exploding all around her. TigerClan had grown tired of their hit-and-run tricks, and the two large clans were now in a full-out war.

However, BrokenClan was hopelessly outnumbered. Almost every cat was fighting two-to-one, and while some TigerClanners had turned tail and fled, there were still far too many. Both sides had taken losses- Applefur had seen Onewhisker lying in a pool of his own blood, as well as Flintfang crumpling to the ground from a torn throat. One or two TigerClan bodies were lying dead, but Applefur took no time to inspect them.

"BrokenClan, _attack_!"

Applefur felt her shoulders sag in relief as reinforcements poured into camp- Rowanberry had made it! Clawface bowled Leopardfur over, Webpaw and Oakpaw raced to Wrenflight's aid, who was corned by three TigerClan cats, and Ratscar sunk his teeth into Sandcloud's tail. She felt a surge of adrenaline as she raised her head and charged towards a pair of toms that were slinking towards the medicine cats' den. _We have a fighting chance, now!_

With the playing field equal, TigerClan was beginning to look weary. As Applefur let out a yowl, racing towards her targets, one shot the other a look before turning tail and running off himself. Distracted, the second braced himself for her attack, only to find Littlecloud bursting out of the den and sinking his claws into his spine. The tom yowled in surprise, trying to throw him off, but not before Applefur reached him and scored her claws down his flank. Littlecloud bit the tom's ear fiercely before he struggled free and fled.

Applefur shared a nod with the medicine cat before turning again, trying to assess the situation. She saw Tigerstar and Brokenstar facing off again in the center of camp. Unlike the river camp attack, no cat who was still in camp had stopped fighting.

"Where is Tawnypaw?" Tigerstar roared, swinging a heavy paw at Brokenstar's face.

The dark tom smirked as he stepped back easily. "Your rage makes you a pitiful fighter, Tigerstar. We could have simply made arrangements in my den for a trade, but alas, you've wasted my time and your warriors' energy." Brokenstar flew forward, slashing at Tigerstar's chest before sinking his jaws into his neck. Tigerstar screeched and flailed as he fell, and Applefur watched in stunned horror as he ripped open her leader's belly.

Both toms collapsed, shuddering and spasming as the bled profusely from their wounds.

Now, other cats really _did_ stop fighting, as they watched their leaders dying before their eyes. A shocked silence fell over the war-torn camp.

"Are they dead?" A TigerClan she-cat whispered, trembling.

Barkface padded from his den. "Stay back, all of you!" He came closer to the bodies, and TigerClan and BrokenClan alike made way for him. "They'll survive," he said, with a quick glance. "But they've both lost lives today." He fixed Leopardfur with a hard look. "Take your cats home. This battle has cost both of us enough."

Leopardfur snarled. "Not without our apprentice."

"Are you going to take her back?" Clawface sneered, though he looked exhausted. "Your warriors are half-dead!"

Tigerstar and Brokenstar both shuddered, before they took a breath again.

"Take your cats home," Barkface repeated. "This battle is done, or do you want _all_ of our clamates to die?"

Leopardfur snarled, but stepped towards her leader and nudged him to his paws.

Applefur recognized the still clouded look in his eyes- she had helped Brokenstar to claw a life from him before. Brokenstar too looked defeated, raising his head weakly as he tried to sit up.

Leopardfur whispered something to Tigerstar, who growled, but nearly fell again as he tried to step towards Brokenstar. The dappled golden she-cat glared at Brokenstar. "TigerClan, we're going home. Don't think that this is over, crow-food eaters."

And with that, she turned and led her cats from camp, Tigerstar leaning on her for support. When the last TigerClan warrior was departed from camp, Brokenstar raised his head triumphantly. "We won! BrokenClan!"

No cat cheered.

Applefur looked around her camp as she sunk to a low, tired crouch. No one was without injuries, and many had severe ones. Bodies were strewn across the ground. The nursery and warrior's den walls were shredded. The choking scent of blood and death bathed the air.

Had they won, really?

Applefur didn't think so, and it looked like for once, not a single cat agreed with Brokenstar.


	17. Chapter 15 - RiverClan

**Guest: Please calm down? I have a life outside of writing and updating this fic. I plan on updating Sunday nights but it doesn't always work out. Getting yelled at to update isn't going to make them come any faster.**

 **Anyway, this is the second to last chapter for the first book of Broken. I've actually already finished writing the rest of this story, including the last chapter and epilogue. I'll be getting started on the second book pretty soon!**

* * *

"Intruders!" Willowpelt screeched, eyes wide, as Red's group pushed their way through the reeds into the river camp.

"Willowpelt!" Red exclaimed, green eye shining. "Willowpelt, it's me!"

Willowpelt stared at him for a long moment before her eyes widened, and she trembled like she'd seen a ghost. "F-Firepaw? You- you're dead! You died in that battle…"

Red shook his head, and then his own cats began to mutter, looking confused.

Swiftpaw glanced at them, narrowing his eyes. _Did Red not tell his own cats about his past?_

Red flinched and turned to address his cats. "Please," he pleaded. "I will explain."

One rogue, a battle-scarred, huge gray tom, stepped forward, growling. "Fire _paw_? Isn't that a _clan_ name, Red? Tell me she's mistaken."

Mint turned, growling at the tom. Even though he was nearly a head taller than her, he blinked and swallowed. "Does it truly surprise you?" she hissed. "Why do you think we've been wanting to help the clans?"

Red glanced at Willowpelt, blinking as Skyheart and Sedgecreek stepped from the warriors' den, bristling. "Please, let me explain everything. No more secrets."

"Who is this?" Skyheart demanded, snarling.

"I…" The once-collected Willowpelt was suddenly at a loss for words. "He was a ThunderClan apprentice. He died- we thought he died- in a battle with ShadowClan." No one made an attempt to correct her use of the old clan names.

"Let me explain everything," Red pressed. "You _all_ deserve the truth."

"Very well," a burly ginger tom grumbled. "I'd like to know what this is all about."

Willowpelt nodded silently.

Red sat down, taking a deep breath, before he told his story one last time, in great detail. He told them of everything- explaining to his cats that he had indeed been a clan apprentice before he met them, how Tigerstar had almost succeeded in murdering him in the battle. Of how he and Yellowfang swore to each other they'd fix what Tigerstar caused.

When he finally finished, the cats in the camp were silent, taking in every word.

"Why didn't you come back?" Willowpelt finally murmured.

"How could I?" Red smiled sadly. "Tigerstar wanted me dead, and I still don't know why. How could I come back?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" The gray tom from earlier demanded, bristling. "You lied to us, you _used_ us!"

"I never lied to you about my intentions, Snag," Red snapped. "I told you I wanted to free the clans, and you all joined me with that knowledge. I never told you I was a clan cat, or of my true name, because I couldn't guarantee my safety. I trust each of you with my life- you _are_ my clan. Do you trust me?"

" _I_ don't," Snag spat, and stood. "Who's with me? I'm done with this bee-brained cause. We can form our own gang without your leadership."

A few of Red's cats exchanged glances, uncertain.

A black tom with a long muzzle stared evenly at Red. "You promised us safety and a place in a clan if we helped you. I didn't used to think I cared, but after living with all of you, I can't imagine being a loner again. Does your deal still stand?"

"Of course," Red dipped his head. "As I said, I lied only about my place in my clan, not my intentions."

"Then I'm staying with Red, or Firepaw, or whatever name he so chooses," the tom said. Red's cats started to nod as though in agreement.

"I'm with you 'til the end!" Magpie chirped.

"You know how we feel," Graypool rasped, and Sedgrecreek's eyes lit up as she spotted the elderly she-cat.

"You're alive!" The young warrior gasped. "We thought…"

"Firepaw saved all of our lives," Patchpelt said, pelt brushing against Graypool's. "He is an honorable cat."

"You're all fools," Snag spat, before turning away and storming out of the camp.

Swiftpaw sat silently, feeling annoyed. _Move on, already!_ He thought impatiently. _There's still much to be done, for StarClan's sake._

Red turned back towards the three TigerClan warriors. "Do you truly want Tigerstar's leadership?" he asked. "I will help you to restore RiverClan. I want to fix _all_ the clans."

Skyheart narrowed her eyes. "And who's going to lead us? _You_?"

Red blinked at her calmly. "If you'll let me," he said, before elaborating. "But I won't claim to be the rightful leader of RiverClan. I'm a ThunderClan cat. I won't even take a leader's name or nine lives, if that will help you to trust me. When all is well, I will gladly step down and let a RiverClan cat take my place."

Mint looked at the tabby she-cat. "He's young, but he's done well with this lot. I trust him to restore peace to the clans."

"I do, too!" Vixenpaw added, surprising Swiftpaw, but he nodded along with her.

After a moment, Sedgecreek spoke. "I think we should. I _hate_ Tigerstar! All I want is RiverClan back."

Skyheart finally nodded, but didn't look pleased. "Fine. But I'm holding you to your promise."

"Thank you," Red breathed, before turning to Willowpelt. "What about you?"

"Of course!" Willowpelt exclaimed, then let out a growl. "I used to think Tigerstar was a good, honorable cat… I was wrong. I want nothing more than to see him fail."

Mint stepped forward. "Red may not be taking a leader name, but I believe he more than deserves his warrior name."

Red's eye widened. "Mint, I couldn't-"

"You will," She snapped, though her eyes gleamed. "And until ThunderClan is restored to it's former glory, I will gladly serve as this clan's medicine cat."

Even Skyheart seemed the slightest bit glad for that. "We will need one," Swiftpaw heard her mutter.

"Are there any objections to me performing the ceremony in the absence of a leader?" Mint asked, and there were no objections. She nodded and stepped into the center of the camp. As though on instinct, every cat in the clan circled around and sat, leaving an opening in the middle for Mint and Red.

"First, I would like to say that I will be taking back my true name, Yellowfang," the gray she-cat rasped. "I am a clan cat, same as any other." She turned to Red, looking as proud of him as though he were her own son. "It would be a shame to forget Bluestar's name for you. So, _Firepaw_ , do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"Of course," Firepaw nodded, raising his head proudly.

"From this day on, you will be known as Fireheart, in honor of your burning determination and loyalty to not _only_ your clan, but to _all_ clans," Yellowfang said, padding forward to rest her muzzle on Fireheart's. She whispered something to him. and the one-eyed warrior purred in response.

Fireheart turned to stare at Swiftpaw. "There is one other cat I think deserving of his name," he meowed, blinking at the apprentice.

 _Me?_ Swiftpaw's eyes widened in surprise.

"You risked everything for this," Fireheart purred. "You came to me at the last moment to tell me about this- we would not be here without your bravery."

Swiftpaw swallowed, shocked, but stood. He had spent the past moon dreading this day, imaging what rogue or loner or lost kittypet he would have to murder to earn his name. But this- standing here in the newly-liberated RiverClan, with a thought-dead leader calling him forward, was not something he had imagined. The black-and-white tom padded forward slowly.

Yellowfang gazed at her companions, some interested while others appeared confused. "Are there any others who would like to take a clan name? I will not make anyone who does not want to, but you are welcome to it."

Skyheart seemed to bristle a little at the question, but again, didn't outright argue.

"Gosh, I do!" Magpie purred, hurrying over to stand beside Swiftpaw.

"I would, if it's no harm," The black tom from earlier meowed, padding to join them.

"Of course, Mowgli," Fireheart dipped his head to the tom.

Finally, a black she-cat quietly joined them, and Yellowfang addressed them all. "StarClan, look down upon these cats. They have proven themselves time and time again to be loyal to this cause, and to be strong, dependable cats, and I commend them to you as warriors in return. Swiftpaw, Magpie, Mowgli, and Nettle, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Magpie answered first, cheerful as ever. "I don't rightly know what that code is, but I'll be happy to learn it!"

Swiftpaw purred in amusement before answering. He'd already grown fond of the carefree tom. "I do."

Mowgli nodded. "Of course."

"I do," Nettle said, twitching her whiskers.

Yellowfang padded closer to the cats. She fixed her gaze upon Swiftpaw. "Then from this day on, you shall be known as Swiftfoot. StarClan honors your courage and sacrifice to this cause."

 _Swiftfoot_ , the warrior repeated, as he licked Yellowfang's shoulder. _I'm finally a warrior!_

"Mowgli," Yellowfang continued, turning to the dark tom. "From this day forward, you will be known as Nightwhisker. StarClan honors your loyalty and hunting skill."

She went on, giving Magpie the name of Magpiewing, and Nettle became Nettleshade.

The cats were silent until Fireheart raised his head. "Swiftfoot! Nightwhisker! Magpiewing! Nettleshade!"

Taking the cue, the others joined in, and Swiftfoot's chest swelled with pride as they chanted for him and these new warriors he hoped to know better soon.

"Fireheart! Swiftfoot! Magpiewing! Nightwhisker! Nettleshade!"

Swiftfoot tried to give Vixenpaw an excited glance, but she was calling quietly, expression almost… jealous? Bitter? He blinked, and it was gone. _I must have just imagined it._

* * *

Vixenpaw watched enviously as the makeshift RiverClan yowled their clanmates' names. She called them out as well, but wished she would be among them. _Someday,_ she thought, sweeping her tail over her paws. _But I can't steal their thunder tonight. I'll talk to Fireheart tomorrow._

As the cheers died down, Vixenpaw's ears twitched. There was a rustling in the reeds. She spun around, eyes wide as she saw ragged shapes pushing through the reeds. "Intruders!" she screeched.

Primrosepaw jumped from where she had been sitting beside her. Eyes blazing, Vixenpaw stood in front of the creamy-brown apprentice. _I won't let anything happen to you,_ she promised silently.

In a heartbeat, RiverClan was bracing themselves, spines arched and claws unsheathed.

Vixenpaw recognized TigerClan, and they looked utterly shocked to see these cats all standing here. Blackclaw pushed his way to the front of his group. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

Fireheart padded forward, fur lying flat. "Rebellion," he replied, simply. "Tigerstar is a tyrant and a killer. He is not the rightful leader of the forest! Any who join us here will be welcomed. But the rest of you…" He stared Blackclaw down evenly. "You look like you've had enough fighting for one night."

Vixenpaw could tell he was right. Many cats were leaning on each other for support, still bleeding from wounds, while others had dry, blood-matted fur.

Blackclaw let out a snarl. "None of us would join you! Tigerstar is strong, and he _will_ lead the forest!"

Yellowfang stood by Fireheart's side. "You will not have to watch your words here," she added. "Additionally, your injuries will be cared for, and we will not throw out the sick of the old. We have three capable medicine cats, and skilled hunters."

" _Three_?" Blackclaw faced Vixenpaw and Primrosepaw, eyes wide. "Traitors! I'll kill you myself!"

"I'm staying here!" A tortoiseshell pushed her way out of her group and hurried towards Fireheart, ducking behind him and Yellowfang. _Mosspaw!_

"So am I," she heard Dustfang spit as he half ran, half limped towards the clan.

"Traitors, fox-hearts, all of you!" Blackclaw stepped forward, but Shadepelt stopped him.

"He's right," she growled. "We can't fight them tonight. Just let the traitors go. We can punish them when we're strong again."

Blackclaw's eyes blazed with fury, but he nodded. "You'll have peace tonight, scum," he spat. "But watch your backs. Tigerstar will not stand for this."

"Any time, Blackclaw," Fireheart challenged. "We're stronger than you think."

As the smoky tom turned away, a whisper of a voice carried from the group. "F… Firepaw?"

Blackclaw hissed as Sandcloud shouldered her way to the front of the group. "Is… is that really you?"

"Sandpaw?" Fireheart's eyes widened. "It's me. I'm Fireheart, now."

"You- you died!" Sandcloud exclaimed, trembling. "You, Whitestorm, and Bluestar!"

"Just another _lie_ Tigerstar fed you," Fireheart growled, speaking to the whole patrol instead of just Sandcloud. " _He_ 'murdered' me with his own claws, and probably did the same to Bluestar and Whitestorm."

A few cats yowled in surprise. Sandcloud whirled upon Blackclaw. "Is that true?" She demanded.

"How would I know?" Blackclaw retorted. "I've no idea who this pile of fox-dung is."

"I'm joining you," Sandcloud declared. "I knew Tigerstar's ways were harsh, but…" She shook her head. "If he murdered Bluestar, he deserves to die." Blackclaw stepped towards her, growling, but she raised a paw, claws unsheathed. "Don't try me. I'm less injured than you."

"Leave her," Shadepelt urged. "She's no use to us disloyal."

"You're all dead," Blackclaw uttered, turning away. "Tigerstar will be sure of that."

And with those parting words, the patrol vanished.


	18. Chapter 16 - End

**So, here we are. The final chapter of the first installment of Broken. Before we get into the chapter, I just want to say thanks so much to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! Your support for the story always means so much to me.**

 **Let me know what you think about everything so far! Any hopes/theories/possible POVs you hope to see/think you'll see? Because there WILL be some POV changes next book; a few are going to stay while others will take the places of those that get removed.**

 **Btw, whoever is the 80th reviewer will get to name a kit for Petaldust! Please keep it realistic, though, no strange names like "Crystalkit".**

* * *

" _Sawyer, Nettleshade, and Snowpaw, take the gorge border,"_ Skyheart ordered, turning to another group of cats. "Brightpaw, Nightwhisker, and Sedgecreek, I want you hunting. We need to build up the fresh-kill for Petaldust and the elders. She'll be hungry when she's done kitting."

Swiftfoot twitched his ears at the exchange. It had been twelve days since RiverClan was rebuilt. Twelve days since Swiftfoot had become a warrior. Twelve days since Blackclaw's parting threat. He recalled, five days ago, how Tigerstar had paid them a visit.

 _Everyone in camp fell dead silent as the massive tabby padded into camp, Sedgecreek, Willowpelt, and Kio surrounding him and Leopardfur._

" _Bring Firepaw out here," Tigerstar demanded, tail lashing. "I come in peace, for now."_

" _It's Fire_ heart _," The ginger tabby growled quietly as he looked up from where he had been sitting outside the warriors' den. Despite being leader, he refused to take the den, and slept with the rest of his clanmates. "What do you want, Tigerstar?"_

 _The huge tabby twitched his tail, surprisingly calm. "One moon, kittypet. I'm granting you one moon of peace. Then you can expect no mercy from TigerClan."_

 _Fireheart titled his head, eyes narrowed. Swiftfoot didn't blame him for being suspicious. How could he trust the word of the cat who'd nearly murdered him? "Why should I believe you?"_

" _I have conditions," Tigerstar growled. "Your cats will stay away from mine. No more creeping into_ my _land and stealing away my cats." His gaze fixed upon Brightpaw, who trembled quietly. "I can see now that this is where my traitors have gone."_

" _I will not stop anyone who comes here in peace," Fireheart said firmly. Swiftfoot admired him for remaining so cool in front of the larger tom. "But I will keep my warriors off of_ ThunderClan's _forest. I must ask… why are you doing this?"_

 _Tigerstar twitched his tail. "You are no fool. My warriors are busy fighting BrokenClan. I cannot waste my time on a pawful of StarClan-obsessed mouse-brains. But my clan is recovering still, and I imagine you know this as well. One moon, Fireheart. You stay off my side of the river, and I leave your group of renegades alone. One moon. Do you agree?"_

Swiftfoot shook his head. Tigerstar had promised peace, but… Somehow, the one-moon treaty only served to unnerve him.

A loud moan from the nursery made him twitch his ears. Petaldust was kitting, and despite her pain, it seemed to calm the clan. New kits was always a blessing. Even Runningwind was pacing nervously outside the nursery, eyes wide. After seemingly endless shouting, hissing, and snarling, entirely on Petaldust's behalf, the mates reconciled, and they seemed nearly right as rain now.

Swiftfoot blinked as he felt Mosspaw's pelt brush against his. The tortoiseshell smiled easily at him before she nodded to the fresh-kill pile. "Want to share something and hunt?"

Swiftfoot nodded, smiling back at her. Even with the threat of Tigerstar looming over them, it was so much more… relaxed, here. Cats could breathe easy without the fear of murderers watching their every move. Even _Dustfang_ was unusually chipper. _Well, as 'chipper' as is possible for Dustfang,_ Swiftfoot thought, whiskers twitching in amusement as they padded towards the fresh-kill pile. He was still a grouch for sure, but he'd lost much of his former aggression and anger.

"Hmm…" Mosspaw mused, looking over the pile. "Carp or squirrel?"

"Squirrel," Swiftfoot replied.

"Carp it is!" Mosspaw chirped, shooting him a playful look before snatching a fat carp and carrying it a bit away from the pile. Swiftfoot rolled his eyes, but found that he didn't mind so much. He was starting to get used to fish, and somehow… Mosspaw made him mind even less.

They ate quickly, and departed after a quick word with Skyheart. She simply raised her brow and then smirked, as if she were in on some big secret as they told her what they were doing. Fireheart had named her his deputy, and it seemed to put her a little more at ease as well.

As they passed from camp, Swiftfoot shot Mosspaw a glance. "So, where are we hunting?"

"I lied," Mosspaw confessed, giving the warrior a sheepish glance. "I just wanted to get you out of camp for a walk." After a hesitant pause, she continued, "I know you hate RiverClan-"

"I don't _hate_ it here," Swiftfoot grumbled.

"Yes, you do," Mosspaw rolled her eyes, padding downstream. "I know you do because I hate it in the forest. It's too cramped and the scents are overwhelming. For you, you're agitated when you're here. You love the forest, I know, but I wanted to show you some of RiverClan's hidden beauties. Make you hate it a little less, I guess." She smiled at him. "You'll like it, I promise."

Swiftfoot's mouth felt dry, but he nodded and went on with her.

They padded downstream together, pelts brushing lightly as they walked. They didn't speak, though the silence was comfortable, rather than awkward.

"Close your eyes," Mosspaw finally said.

"Why?" Swiftfoot frowned.

"Come on!" she begged. "Just do it. I'll lead you."

"Alright," he agreed, shutting his eyes. Mosspaw pressed against him, and he felt a bit warm. He flattened his ears in embarrassment as they went on.

After a few more moments, she stopped. "Alright, you can open them."

Swiftfoot opened his eyes and took a breath.

The river here was shaded by five willow trees, two of which had entangled branches across the river. It was as if they'd grown, reaching out for one another, and finally grabbed on. In the patches where sunlight still hit the river, the light danced across the water, illuminating shimmering fish below and reflecting specks of light back onto the willow trunks. Water lilies floated lazily, giving off a sweet smell that lingered with honeysuckle, which Swiftfoot spotted on the opposite riverbank. A little family of ducks bobbed by, two adults followed by six little ones.

"It's…" Swiftfoot sat down, amazed. "It's beautiful."

Mosspaw smiled from ear-to-ear. "I hoped you'd think so." She sat beside him, gazing out into the river. "Before TigerClan, I used to come here when I wanted to get away. It was my special place." She gave him a shy glance. "Now it can be ours."

Swiftfoot nodded, his throat tight. _What's wrong with you, mouse-brain? Say something!_

After a moment, Mosspaw slid a little closer, leaning into him in the slightest. Swiftfoot's heart was beating so loud he could hear it, and he gulped. "At dusk the fireflies come out and light up the water." She paused, before looking at him again. "Hey, Swiftfoot?"

"Y-yeah?" _Way to go, idiot. Real smooth._ Swiftfoot wasn't sure what had come over him. He was never like this- and awkward, stuttery mess!

"I really like you, you know?" Mosspaw's gaze flickered to her paws before she glanced back up at him. "And I, well, I guess I was hoping we could spend some more time together, and at some point after I become a warrior…" her voice grew quiet. "We could maybe be mates."

Swiftfoot stared at her, eyes wide. Everything was starting to make sense now. All the times he'd been overly worried for her, all the times he randomly thought of her… he wouldn't call it _love_ , not quite yet, but he liked Mosspaw, too. "Imightlikethat," he mumbled quickly.

"Hm?"

"I said… I might like that." He gave her a small smile.

Mosspaw purred and butted her head against his jaw. Swiftfoot felt _happy_ , happier than he'd been in moons. "Great," she murmured, before her usual spark returned. "Now, last one to the downstream twolegpath is crow-food!" The tortoiseshell she-cat took to her paws and raced away, farther downstream.

"Hey! No fair!" Swiftfoot laughed, haring after her. Mosspaw remained a few pawsteps ahead as they raced towards the twolegpath. The small twolegpath barn loomed to their right, carrying scents of hay and horse, though no twolegs were out.

A loud barking made Swiftfoot skid to a halt.

A large golden-furred dog was barking in excitement as it spotted Mosspaw, and racing towards her from the direction of the barn. She hadn't spotted it yet.

"Mosspaw!" Swiftfoot screeched. "Mosspaw, dog!" He started off again, charging towards her as the dog neared. Mosspaw finally spotted the beast and let out a screech.

Swiftfoot managed to catch up just as the dog reached her. It lunged forward, snapping eagerly at her smaller head. Mosspaw ducked, lashing out and whacking the dog on the nose.

"Get away from her, fleabag!" Swiftfoot snarled, springing off of the ground and leaping on its back. Spitting, he dug his claws in and churned his hind-claws down the dog's spine.

The dog howled in surprise and bucked, throwing Swiftfoot off and snapping at him. Swiftfoot shrieked as he felt teeth bury themselves in his leg.

"Leave him alone!" Mosspaw screeched, fear rising in her voice. She jumped forward, sinking her jaws into the dog's tail. Swiftfoot felt relief as the dog released him, yelping.

Caterwauls sounded from the river, and Swiftfoot saw Brightpaw, a ginger tabby named Kio, and Magpiewing racing to their defense.

With a surge of energy, Swiftoot leaped to his paws and clawed at the dog's side as it tried to bite Mosspaw. Brightpaw reached them first, and scored her claws down the side of its face. The dog yelped again, backing away as Magpiewing let out a fierce yowl and bit its tail. With a few more blows, it whined and turned tail, fleeing.

"Anyone hurt?" Brightpaw panted.

"It got my leg," Swiftpaw muttered, sharp bursts of pain shooting through it as his adrenaline faded. "I can walk, though."

"We'd better get you to Yellowfang," Kio mused, before flicking his tail. "Come on, let's report back. Fireheart will want to know about the dog."

Despite the pain, as Mosspaw pressed into his side, supporting him, Swiftfoot felt a rush of pride. This was RiverClan land. Their clan may be a bunch of rogues and renegades, but so what? This was _their_ home now, and Swiftfoot knew he would fight with his life to defend it.

 _I'll fight_ anyone _to protect this,_ Swiftfoot thought, gaze hardening as he glanced across the river. _I'll kill Tigerstar myself if I have to._

 _Whatever it takes. I'll give everything to make things right again._

 _ **End.**_


	19. Epilogue - Glimpses

_Moonlight lit up the small forest clearing._ A lone, cream-colored she-cat sat, staring up at the stars. _Will he come?_ She wondered, throat tightening as she felt the squirm in her belly.

She had only met him a moon and a half ago; the big, powerful wildcat who'd saved her from a fox and helped her settle in her new den. Being a kittypet, she'd known little about the ways of the forest, and the mighty tom had taken a surprising amount of pity on her.

But it became more than just help. He would meet her some nights, lay on the starlit-grass, belly up, and tell her the stories of his ancestors.

It didn't take long for her to fall in love with him.

The last time they'd met she'd joyfully told him she was expecting kits, and he became sullen and quiet. He had promised to see her again, but where was he?

The queen's heart twisted. _How will my kits live with no father?_ She was no fool- it would not be easy to raise them on her own, and their father was nowhere to be seen.

She sighed as she felt another movement in her belly. "Be still, little ones," she murmured. "Even if your father won't care for you, I always will." She stared up at the sky again, nearly choking on the words that he had muttered to her the last time they had spoken. "I promise."

* * *

In another clearing, deep in a thick forest, two toms were meeting. One was clearly tired, still covered in scabbing scratches from a number of nights before. The second, a young, dark tabby, was a perfect picture of the huge cat before him.

"Thank you for meeting me so late," The larger tabby rumbled.

"Of course." The young tom dipped his head, amber eyes gleaming in the moonlight as he stared up at the mighty tabby before him.

"I want you to find that group of traitors and join them," the larger tom ordered, tail lashing. "Befriend them. Earn their trust. Learn their secrets. I'll send someone every half-moon to gather information from you." He leaned in closer, breath on the young tom's whiskers. "Are you up to the task?"

"Anything for you, father!" The tabby declared loyally, straightening up proudly. "I won't let you down!"

"Of course you won't," the older tom purred darkly. "Now get back to your nest. I'll give you the word when I need you to go."

The young tom nodded and scurried off, tail held high.

The remaining tom let out a low half-chuckle, half-growl. _I thought I killed that kittypet seasons ago. He may be back, and he may have stolen my clan from me, but I'll have my revenge… oh, yes, that kittypet will pay for what he's cost me._

* * *

A young, creamy-brown she-cat rasped her tongue over the older black she-cat's ears quietly. She had groomed the medicine cat from tail to ears, and she was just falling asleep. She stared down at the pretty black she-cat, heart twisting. _Vixenpaw is so peaceful when she sleeps. I wish she were always like that._ She shook her head. _Oh, shut up, Primrosepaw. She won't ever care about you like that._

Primrosepaw gave Vixenpaw's ear another lick before curling up against her spine, warned by her presence. Maybe it was just being back in RiverClan, but Vixenpaw _had_ been calmer- but she was sad, too. She never said it, but… Primrosepaw could see it in her eyes, in the slump of her shoulders. _I just wish I knew what I could do to help her,_ she thought, laying her head on her paws.

 _StarClan, are you really watching over us?_ She wondered. _Are you proud of what we did? Or have you given up on the clans altogether?_ Primrosepaw swallowed, but it felt harder than ever to force the lump in her throat away. _Are you angry at_ me _, for the things I feel? I know that it's wrong to have a mate as a medicine cat, but… maybe as long as I keep my feelings to myself, you won't mind so much. A cat can't control who she loves, or if she loves at all, right?_

Primrosepaw sighed and closed her eyes. _Just… if you are mad at me, please forgive me. I didn't mean for it to happen._

* * *

A cascading river away lay a moor, shining silver in the clear moonlight.

The sounds of softly sleeping cats could be heard from outside the rabbit set. The scent of sweet heather and few lingered in Tawnypaw's nose, but she could not sleep.

Her guard, Rabbitwing, was crouched outside the hole she now called home. It was hard to tell whether or not the she-cat had dozed off.

Tawnypaw sighed, trying to scrape together the dry sheep's wool that made her small nest, and curled up into a tight ball. Staring out at the small glimpse of Silverpelt she had, she frowned.

 _Is Father ever going to come for me?_ She had lost track of time under here, but she knew it had been something like a half-moon since she'd been captured. Tawnypaw had only heard of one attack; the one against BrokenClan's marshland camp. _Is he angry with me?_ She wondered. _Does he think it's my fault I got captured?_

 _It is my fault. If I had fought harder…_ Tawnypaw swallowed, choking back tears. _I have to be strong. I'll go home soon- but… Is TigerClan really my home?_ Even though she did her best to be kind and helpful, cats still muttered when she came their way. She always felt their stares burning into her pelt when she ate or trained. _I'm Tigerstar's daughter! Why don't they like me? Sure, they're worse to Bramblepaw, but we didn't do anything wrong…_

With a pang, Tawnypaw thought, _Do I even have a home?_

* * *

" _Hole, Hole."_

Massive paws scraped at the ground. Metallic chain shined in the moonlight, clinking as the fence shook.

"Here. Hole, hole. Here."

More paws joined in, eager to be free. The dark forest loomed ahead, prey scent filling the beast's nostrils.

"Run soon," the largest promised, digging hard as he could. He was soon able to squirm through, then the rest of the hulking, hungered creatures followed. Free, they took off into the forest.

Something was stirring in the forest.

" _ **Pack, pack,**_ " it panted.

" _ **Kill! Kill!**_ "


End file.
